See also:

Temperatures at Shingle Point
 
Stormy days at Inuvik, NWT
 
Precipitation at Old Crow

Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Co-op

What is happening?

• The amount of precipitation received during fall and winter at Shingle Point appears to be increasing, but there is no apparent change over time in spring or summer precipitation levels.
• The greatest amounts of precipitation are received in the summer and fall at Shingle Point.

Why is it happening?

• Precipitation levels are affected by variations in other climate variables, such as changes in mean temperatures or the frequency of storm systems passing through an area. In the northern Yukon, precipitation levels may be strongly affected by the length of the ice-free period of the Beaufort Sea.

Why is it important?

• The amount of snow in winter affects the movements of humans and other large mammals, habitat conditions for many small mammals, and winter insulation for insects and plants. The level of snow accumulation also affects the amount of water that is generated by melt during the spring.
• Summer rain levels have effects on the growth of plants, water levels in lakes and rivers, and human outdoor activities.

Technical Notes

• Trends in precipitation levels were tested using data from 1958 to 1992, with a significance threshold of p>0.05. Seasonal precipitation totals were calculated for March-May, June-August, September-November, and December-February. Winter totals are calculated using December values of the current year, and January and February values of the following year.
• Missing data points are due to a lack of sufficient data to calculate precipitation totals for those years. Collection of precipitation data at Shingle Point stopped in 1993.