Historical Climatology: Thunder Bay, Ontario

Provided in collaboration with the Michigan Office of the State Climatologist www.glisa.msu.edu Last updated: 2/23/2015

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Observed Changes

Thunder Bay has seen an increase in temperature over the last several decades typical of the Northern Great Lakes Basin. While annual temperatures have warmed overall, late winter and early spring temperatures have risen faster. Total precipitation has declined over time, also consistent with other locations around Lake Superior. This decline may be partially attributed to changes in precipitation monitoring particularly through the 1990s. 1981-2010 Temperature and Precipitation Summary Mean Annual Temperature (°C) 2.9 Mean Annual Minimum Temperature (°C) -3.3 Mean Annual Maximum Temperature (°C) 9.1 Mean Number of Days per Year that Exceed 90°C 2.3 Mean Number of Days per Year that Fall Below 32°C 200 Lowest Mean Annual Temperature (°C) 1.3 Highest Mean Annual Temperature (°C) 4.7 Mean Annual Total Precipitation (cm) 60.3 Lowest Mean Total Precipitation (cm) 35.9 Highest Mean Total Precipitation (cm) 88.9 Mean Number of Days/Year with > 0.1" Precip. 60 Mean Number of Days/Year with > 0.25" Precip. 32 Mean Number of Days/Year with > 0.5" Precip. 14 Mean Number of Days/Year with > 1" Precip. 4

Overview

The climate records displayed here were reconstructed using the most reliable data from several observation stations located throughout Thunder Bay over time. All temperature records have been taken near the current airport station. Precipitation records have been taken from sites throughout the city. Thunder Bay experiences a climate typical of mid-latitude inland locations with a moderating effect from Lake Superior. The heat capacity of the lake results in cooler summer temperatures and warmer winter temperatures for areas nearer the lakeshore. While particularly strong within about 6km from the lake, effects on temperature are apparent as far inland as 16 km.

Mean monthly high, average, and low temperatures for the period 1981-2010.

Mean monthly total precipitation with the 25th and 75th percentiles for the period 1981-2010.

Composite Station Latitude: 48.4N Longitude: 89.3W

Historical Climatology: Thunder Bay, Ontario

www.glisa.msu.edu Provided in collaboration with the Michigan Office of the State Climatologist Last updated: 2/23/2015

Changes in Mean 1981-2010 Temperature from 1951-1980 (°C)

Annual 0.5 Winter, December-February 1.2 Spring, March-May 0.7 Summer, June-August 0.3 Fall, September-November 0.1

Change in Mean 1981-2010 Total Precipitation from 1951-1980 (%)

Annual -7.2 Winter, December-February -16.2 Spring, March-May -9.2 Summer, June-August 1.5 Fall, September-November 0.7

Mean annual temperatures from 1900 to 2010. An open circle represents the average temperature of a single year. The solid line represents the 9-year running mean.

Annual precipitation totals from 1900 to 2010. An open circle represents the total precipitation for a single year. The solid line represents the 9-year running mean.

Mean annual high temperatures from 1900 to 2010. An open circle represents the average high temperature of a single year. The solid line represents the 9-year running mean.

Mean annual low temperatures from 1900 to 2010. An open circle represents the average low temperature of a single year. The solid line represents the 9-year running mean.

Unless otherwise stated, daily observations are used to calculate quantities in this document only if they satisfy a number of quality control tests and there is a high level of data coverage for the period in question. Nine-year running means are calculated for periods only when at least 5 of the 9 years are available. For more information on quality controls and data reliability requirements please see the Historical Climatologies: Quality Control document available on the GLISA website or email GLISA-info@umich.edu. Many factors can influence long-term trends in precipitation and temperature. While human-caused climate change may be a major driver, other factors, such as natural variability, changes in nearby land use, urban heat-island effects, movement of the exact location of the observing station, and changes in measurement procedure can also play a role in climate trends over the station record. Observations in a small geographical area do not necessarily represent large-scale regional trends in temperature and precipitation. Each station records the conditions at a given place over time.

Historical Climatology: Thunder Bay, Ontario

www.glisa.msu.edu Provided in collaboration with the Michigan Office of the State Climatologist Last updated: 2/23/2015

Mean seasonal temperatures from 1900 to 2010. An open circle represents the average seasonal temperature of a single year. The solid line is the 9-year running mean.

The number of complete freeze-thaw cycles based on daily high and low temperatures, left, and the length of the annual freeze-free period, have both increased slightly in recent decades. Dotted lines represent the linear best fit since 1950.

Open circles represent the number of days per year in which the daily high temperature exceeded 90°F (left) and where the daily low temperature dropped below 32°F (right) in a single year. The solid line is the 9-year running mean.

Historical Climatology: Thunder Bay, Ontario

www.glisa.msu.edu Provided in collaboration with the Michigan Office of the State Climatologist Last updated: 2/23/2015

Total seasonal precipitation from 1900 to 2010. An open circle represents the total seasonal precipitation for a single year. The solid line represents the 9-year running mean of the total seasonal precipitation.

Number of days per year that exceeded the indicated daily precipitation totals. The solid line represents the 9-year running mean. Days that exceeded a higher threshold are included in days exceeding lower thresholds. Note that the plots are on different scales.