The Sixth Estate

The Canadian Climate Survey is tracking historical and average temperatures in cities and towns across the country, as part of an effort to put something of a local face on global climate change.

Trend: The Pas has warmed 0.9 ˚C between the period 1961-1990 and the past decade (2002-2011). Over the course of the late 20th century, it has moved from sub-zero to above-zero average annual temperatures.

Temperature Extremes: Overall, 7 of The Pas’s 10 warmest years since 1911 have actually occurred since 1990. In contrast, none of the city’s 10 coldest years have occurred in the same interval. The coldest year since 1990 was 1996 (at -1.2 ˚C), which was the town’s 14th-coldest on record.

Long-Term Consequences: Since the 1980s, The Pas has warmed at a rate of approximately 0.1 ˚C per decade. This is below the Canadian average and, provided climate change does not intensify, means The Pas would experience only +1 ˚C temperature increase over the coming century.

 

* Data for this chart was taken from the Environment Canada homogenized data archive.

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