December was almost “rainless” for the first time in a long time – but alas, some mild
temperatures in the last week brought rain rather than snow.
The average temperature in the third week of December was -6.5 degrees Celsius, a
two-and-a-half-degree drop from the week before at -9.1 C. Daily temperatures were as
high as +14 C and as low as -14 C within the space of the week, some wild fluctuations
compared to the normal average temperature for all of December at -4.5 C.
There were 11 millimetres of rain in the third week but no snow, bringing total
precipitation for the first three weeks of December to 40 mm, which included 33
centimetres as snow which melted down to 29 mm of water. Precipitation is running 30
per cent below normal, although there are several snow events forecast over the
holidays that may bring the total closer to normal.
The Chateauguay River had already started to freeze over, but then some spots began
to thaw with the warmer temperatures. With lower-than-normal temperatures forecast
for the rest of December, the river, streams and ponds are sure to freeze back up for
the New Year.