December 2024 was first snowless December in Chilliwack in a decade.
It was also the second warmest December on record, next to December 2023, according to Roger Pannett, volunteer weather observer for Environment and Climate Change Canada.
With mean temperatures at 6.23C almost three degrees above normal, it was the second warmest December on record since weather records started being kept in 1895.
The first frost of the year was about a month later than unusual when it arrived on Dec. 3, and there were more frost-free days than ever during this green December.
"On average, the first frost of the season occurs on Nov. 9 in Chilliwack."
An all-time record of 270 frost-free days was observed in 2024 compared to the average of 216.
"This was the second consecutive December with only two frosts and also, to date, no killing frosts at -2C," which has never been seen before in the weather records that have been kept since 1895 in Chilliwack.
"The generally dry and mild conditions of a snowless November continued into early December, as a high-pressure ridge grew.
"With a temperature inversion, unlike the foggy conditions in the western Fraser Valley, Chilliwack and points east experienced clear, sunny and mild conditions. Eight days of dry weather persisted and since mid November a total of eighteen days of minimal rainfall.
Temperature extremes for December was the spring-like 12.4C, which is seven degrees above normal on Dec. 18 and the slight frost of -0.4C on Dec. 10.
There were 11 mild days with temperatures exceeding 10 C.
To compare, December 2023 was the warmest with a mean temperature at 6.8°C. The third warmest December was in1925 with a mean temperature at 6.0C, followed in 1926 by a warm Spring and hot dry summer.
"It's a trend likely to be repeated in 2025 unfortunately, with another year of high wildfire risk," Pannett said.
It was the 20th consecutive month with above normal temperatures, including 12 months exceeding the standard temperature deviations of 1.1C to 2.6C, which marks "another record never previously observed."
For most of the month, from Dec. 6 onward, an active zonal jet stream predominated with a mild and moist Pacific on shore west to south west air flow. Rain was heavy at times, but the strongest winds remained from Vancouver Island to Abbotsford.
No temperature or rainfall records were broken in December.
It was the 26th consecutive December with total precipitation below the 30 year, 1951 to 1980, average.
It was first snow-less December since 2014 contributing to total precipitation being 34.27 per cent below normal. Chilliwack total precipitation for 2024 was 1,491.8 mm on 183 days compared to the 30 year average of 1,880.1 mm on 174 days.
