The hot and wet summer on the prairies was the number five weather story in Canada this year, according to David Phillips of Environment Canada.
Phillips released the top ten weather stories of the year Thursday morning.
Phillips said 2012 was one of the worst years on record for severe weather in the prairie provinces.
One of the most notable aspects of that was the record number of tornados in Saskatchewan.
“It was Saskatchewan that was hoarding all the tornados,” said Phillips. “They had 33 – they’d normally have about 13.”
Environment Canada says 33 confirmed tornados is the province’s all time record, just over the previous record of 32, set in 1991.
“There were times when storm chasers who were bored in the States were coming up to Saskatchewan to fill their needs,” Phillips told a news conference.
The top weather story of 2012, according to Environment Canada, was the above normal temperatures seen coast to coast.
The second biggest story was super storm Sandy, and the active hurricane season.
That was followed by heavy floods in B.C.; hot weather in March; the hot, wild prairie summer; heavy melting in the Arctic Ocean; hot dry weather in Eastern Canada that led to drought conditions in some areas; and heavy hail in Calgary on August 12. The number ten weather story was historic ice jam flooding on the Saint John River.
