2021 Weather in Review – What A Wild Ride!

Chilliwack (Roger Pannett, Volunteer Weather Observer for Environment Canada at Chilliwack) – With mean temperatures for 2021 at 1.51 °C above normal, it was the 9^th consecutive year with mean temperature in excess of the + 0.6°C standard deviation, an observation never previously observed and continuing the warming trend which started in 1986.

2015 remains the warmest year on record with a mean temperature at 12.85°C, 2.65°C above normal.

From June to September there were 26 hot days with maximum temperatures in excess of 30.0 ⁰C. It was the 20^th consecutive year with well above the average 7 hot days, a trend never previously observed.

There was a total of 44 record breaking high temperatures in 2021 with only 8 low temperature records.

Temperature extremes for 2021 were the all time historical hot maximum temperature of 43.0 C (21.9°C above normal!) on June 28^th and the record minimum temperature of -16.4 °C, plus wind chill, (16.4°C below normal) on December 27^th.

In 2021 there were 219 frost free days compared to the average 216 days.

The summertime 46 day drought, June 16^th to August 1^st,, included zero rainfall in July, the driest on record.

In comparison historical November rainfall at 615.6 mm was the wettest month in > 142 years in Chilliwack.( Previously December 1979 was the wettest month at 586.2 mm.) Fall 2021 was also the wettest on record, 997.5 mm compared to the 537.5 mm Fall average.

There were five 24-hour rainfall records, including the wettest September day on record, 89.5 mm on September 17^th and the historical all time record rainfall of 154.6 mm on November 14^th.

However for the 9^th consecutive year precipitation totals were below the 30-year average,-6.85%, including rainfall 4.25% below normal and snowfall 42% below normal.

Variable	2021	30 Year Average
Mean Maximum	15.99 ⁰C	14.71 C
Mean Minimum	7.43 C	5.69 C
Mean Temperature	11.71 C	10.2 C
Rainfall	1,676.3 mm	1750.7 mm
Snowfall	75.0 cm	129.4 cm
Total Precipitation	1,751.3 mm	1880.1 mm
Days of rain	170 days	161 days
Days of snow	19 days	18 days
Total Days of Precipitation	179 days	174 days
Frosts	43	57
Relative humidity average	71.25 %	.