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2016 is 3rd warmest year on record in Saskatoon

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2016 is 3rd warmest year on record in Saskatoon and Regina
WATCH ABOVE: 2016 was the third warmest year ever in Saskatoon with temperatures 1.7 degrees warmer than normal. Peter Quinlan reports – Jan 5, 2017

2016 was the third warmest year on record in Saskatoon, Regina, North Battleford and Estevan.

When averaging all 366 days from the past year, due to a leap year, temperatures sat at 4.3 degrees in Saskatoon when our normal average annual temperature is 2.6 degrees.

So overall, the Bridge City was 1.7 degrees warmer than normal in 2016.

Saskatoon was 1.7 degrees warmer than normal in 2016. SkyTracker Weather

Regina saw temperatures 2 degrees warmer than normal, making it the third warmest year on record as well.

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2016 was the second warmest year ever recorded in Yorkton and the fourth hottest in Prince Albert, Meadow Lake and Swift Current.

2016 was one of the hottest years on record across central and southern Saskatchewan. SkyTracker Weather
2016 was one of the hottest years on record across central and southern Saskatchewan. SkyTracker Weather

El Niño kept Saskatoon way warmer than normal for the first half of the year.

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READ MORE: Flooding, tornadoes highlight Saskatchewan’s weather during 2016

In fact, the only months that were below average during the year were August, October and December.

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The city only saw three days when the mercury fell below -30 degrees when normally we see 13 days.

The coldest day of 2016 was on Jan. 16 when the temperature fell to -37.1.

The mercury only fell below -30 degrees 3 times in 2016. SkyTracker Weather
The past few winters have seen below normal extreme cold in Saskatoon. SkyTracker Weather

Extreme heat above 30 degrees was only felt three times and all in May and June, when normally the mercury rises above that threshold 14 days in a year.

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The warmest day was on May 4 when we saw the mercury shoot up to 32.6 degrees.

All of Saskatoon’s 30 degree days in 2016 were in May and June. SkyTracker Weather

Throughout the year, Saskatoon saw a total of 339.9 millimetres of rain, melted snow and mixed precipitation, when normally the city receives 353.7 millimetres.

Despite that only being 96 per cent of our normal precipitation, there were significant dumps in August when over one-and-a-half times the normal precipitation fell and over two times average in October with the early season snowfall.

Saskatoon saw 96% the city’s normal precipitation in 2016. SkyTracker Weather

READ MORE: Saskatoon surpasses 100-year-old snowfall record

In terms of severe weather, Saskatchewan saw slightly fewer than normal tornadoes, with only 14 touching down in the province – below the average of 18 twisters annually.

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This is still much higher than 2015 when only two tornadoes were reported in Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan saw a below normal number of tornadoes in 2016. SkyTracker Weather
Saskatchewan has seen a total of 14 tornadoes so far in 2016, according to Environment Canada. SkyTracker Weather

READ MORE: 2016 Saskatchewan tornado tally

Flood forecasters are calling for a good chance of significant flooding in 2017 with high soil moisture content heading into winter with another deep freeze in the forecast into mid-January.

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