January was a very wet month; many areas saw flooding, rivers were high and wastewater outlets overflowed, closing many beaches. There was so much rainfall, in fact, that it impressed meteorologists.
“It broke several records,” said Armel Castellan, a meteorologist with Environment Canada. “More than I can shake a stick at.”
The biggest dump of rain was on Jan. 31 at the Victoria International Airport. From midnight to midnight 38.4 millimetres fell, more than the 31 mm seen on the same day in 1974.
From 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. between Jan. 30 and Jan. 31, there were approximately 70 mm seen.
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Records were also broken across the Island and mainland, including in Nanaimo where 66.4 mm fell, Pitt Meadows which saw 112 mm, and Hope, which saw 85 mm.
On a monthly total Victoria saw 291.3 mm of rain and snow in January, which more than doubles the 30-year-average of 143.2 mm. It also ended up being the second-wettest January on record, with the winner of 359 mm taking place in 1953. Included in this record is 29.3 cm of snow, a number which is usually 10.9 cm.
Comox also saw its second wettest January with 374 mm of rain and snow, when an average monthly total in January is 172 mm.
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Some temperature records were also broken on the first and last day of the month in Victoria. On Jan. 1, there was a high of 12.9 C, breaking the record-high of 12.2 in 1963. On Jan. 31 there was a high of 14.2 C, beating a record of 13.8 on Jan. 31, 1995.
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