Kivalliq smashes temperature records

Temperatures soared in the Kivalliq this week, breaking records in both Rankin Inlet and Baker Lake.

Tuesday’s high of 19°C in Rankin Inlet broke the community’s old record high of 15.9°C set in 1995.

Baker Lake hit 22.5°C on Tuesday, breaking its record high of 16.8°C set back in 1979.

However, in 1978, there was 53 cm of snow on the ground in Baker Lake.

Normal daytime temperatures are usually 10°C for Baker Lake and 9°C for Rankin Inlet.

According to Environment Canada, the tundra regions of Nunavut “had the heat turned up” this spring. Overall, the spring was the warmest since 1948.

“As a result of this and other factors, ice forecasters are expecting the ice to clear in the Hudson Bay and Davis marine waters up to two weeks early this season. However, the northern coast is only expected to see near average or slightly delayed seasonal conditions,” said Yvonne Bilan-Wallace from Environment Canada.

Environment Canada says its long-range models continue to show above normal temperatures this summer for Nunavut.

“Last time we had a comparably warm winter and spring was probably 1998,” said Bilan-Wallace. “This was followed by the warmest summer on record.”