e@eeeretste@Peoeeeeeeseeeeeeee THE ARCTIC MASS It is interesting to note that the frozen Arctic Ocean provides enough “warmth” even in its icy state to make the coastal climate somewhat warmer — in places like Inuvik and Tukteyak- tuk — than in the Yukon Interior. The coldest reading ever made on the North American continent occured in Snag, Yukon, on February 3, 1947. On that day, the mercury dropped to 81 below zero. Lying closer to the arctic mass than Whitehorse, the town of Watson Lake (averaging -21 in January) is colder than Whitehorse (average of -8 that month) which benefits from its prox- imity to the warm Gulf of Alaska air. It is this arctic air mass that sweeps down into central Canada and liter- ally roars across the flat Prairies with strong winds, creating the “chill fac- tor” which makes a windy zero degree day in Winnipeg affect one’s senses like 40 below in Whitehorse. Normally penned on one side of the Rockies, this cold arctic air sometimes breaks through to menace the mild coastal climate of the lower British Columbia mainland (the record Van- couver low was 3/10ths of a degree below zero in 1968). HOW’S THE WEATHER DOWN THERE? — Whitehorse’s chief weatherman Herb Wahl looks at a print out machine which transmits weather maps from regional weather stations in North America. RAIN ON THE PLAIN Continental climates like the Yukon get their precipitation from showers and cloudbursts while coastal climates have mountains and similar ‘“rain- traps” which derive huge rainfalls from storm activity. The bad weather of winter months gives the coasts its rainy season at that time of year; the Yukon rainy season is in August from interior cloud conditions rather than sea spawned storms. Precipitation of rain and snow is very light in the Yukon and short warming spells which melt the snow make win- ter sports like skiiing and skidooing difficult to carry on regularly. So that’s a word on the weather, somewhat generalized and basic in places, but meteorology is a science that is as technical and complicated as any other when the full details of a process are given. Hopefully, this story imparts a bit of knowledge about the weather, that time-honoured subject which every- body is always talking about. HIDE HARE BEBE Northern temperatures are usually This article was taken from not as extreme as the “record lows” the White Pass Container Houte noted here: 40 to 50 below happens News. It gives us some idea of every winter, 60 to 70 below every 10 what winter weather is around years and 70 to 80 below every 15 . t years as a general rule. the Yukon. And that’s pretty close to home?