Guest guest Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 Rain? In Iqaluit? In February? Last updated Feb 28 2006 08:51 AM CST CBC News Residents of Iqaluit and Pangnirtung have been stowing away their parkas and kamiks this week and pulling out raincoats. Warm temperatures and rain showers across southern Baffin Island have broken almost every record on the books. " The snow is melting off the roof, I can't believe it, it's unreal, " says Iqaluit resident Dennis Shappa. " If it freezes over, you know, caribou are going to have a hard time getting to their source of food, " says a concerned Moses Kilabuk. The odd weather closed Iqaluit airport for a time. Baker Lake resident Jeanne Simailak was left stranded in Iqaluit because planes were grounded due to icy conditions. " I was suppose to go home, but the flight was cancelled so I have to wait until Wednesday, " she says. One for the books The roof was blown off the building in Pangnirtung It's only rained in February in Iqaluit three times since 1936. The last mid-winter downpour was in February 1986. " You know what? in the 26 years that I've been looking at the weather in the North, this is one that I'm going to remember for a while, " says Yvonne Bilan-Wallace, a meteorologist with Environment Canada's Arctic Weather Centre in Edmonton. " Can you believe these temperatures? 6.8 degrees in Pangnirtung. That's plus. And 4.2 degrees in Iqaluit. That breaks about a 60-year record. " The normal high for this time of year is -21 C. Bilan-Wallace says the warm rainy weather will continue into the week. She expects another storm to pass through Tuesday, and that should see temperatures drop to below zero by Wednesday. The warm weather has come with high winds, which in Pangnirtung reached 125 kilometres an hour, destroying a building and breaking windows. Manned weather stations The wonky weather came after Environment Canada had been forecasting snow and blizzards for several days. The off-base forecast has Nunavut's Education minister, Ed Picco, calling for better services from Environment Canada. He says a lot of people go out on the land, and need accurate weather forecasts that only a manned weather station can provide. " It's very hard to plan your life around the weather or the Environment Canada forecasts, I mean who would do that? " he says. " So many times the weather forecast seems to be crying wolf. " He says having someone on the ground in the North will ensure they at least know what's happening outside. " NOTICE: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the National Security Agency may have read this email without warning, warrant, or notice. They may do this without any judicial or legislative oversight. You have no recourse nor protection save to call for the impeachment of the current President. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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