Climate
The island lies in the path of Nor'easters and hurricanes which occur periodically. Cape Sable Island is also prone to bouts of thick fog. Over the years the Cape's storms, and the close proximity of the island to shipping routes, has led to a substantial number of shipwrecks. The most tragic was the wreck of the SS Hungarian in February 1860 with the loss of over 200 lives. A lighthouse was established at the tip of Cape Sable in the next year.
| Climate data for Cape Sable Island | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 12.0 (53.6) |
12.0 (53.6) |
14.0 (57.2) |
16.0 (60.8) |
18.9 (66.0) |
22.8 (73.0) |
24.0 (75.2) |
24.0 (75.2) |
23.9 (75.0) |
22.0 (71.6) |
17.2 (63.0) |
13.9 (57.0) |
24.0 (75.2) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 1.4 (34.5) |
0.7 (33.3) |
3.0 (37.4) |
5.7 (42.3) |
8.8 (47.8) |
12.0 (53.6) |
13.8 (56.8) |
14.9 (58.8) |
15.1 (59.2) |
12.3 (54.1) |
8.7 (47.7) |
4.6 (40.3) |
8.4 (47.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.6 (29.1) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
0.6 (33.1) |
3.6 (38.5) |
6.8 (44.2) |
9.7 (49.5) |
11.3 (52.3) |
12.4 (54.3) |
12.7 (54.9) |
10.0 (50.0) |
6.2 (43.2) |
1.4 (34.5) |
5.9 (42.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −4.8 (23.4) |
−5 (23.0) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
1.4 (34.5) |
4.6 (40.3) |
7.3 (45.1) |
8.7 (47.7) |
9.9 (49.8) |
10.3 (50.5) |
7.6 (45.7) |
3.6 (38.5) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
3.3 (37.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −17.2 (1.0) |
−18.3 (−0.9) |
−14.5 (5.9) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
2.8 (37.0) |
5.0 (41.0) |
5.6 (42.1) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−3 (26.6) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
−19 (−2.2) |
−19 (−2.2) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 140.4 (5.528) |
112.7 (4.437) |
104.8 (4.126) |
98.7 (3.886) |
86.4 (3.402) |
76.2 (3) |
68.3 (2.689) |
104.6 (4.118) |
73.4 (2.89) |
89.8 (3.535) |
122.2 (4.811) |
139.6 (5.496) |
1,217.1 (47.917) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 86.5 (3.406) |
71.5 (2.815) |
83.5 (3.287) |
94.6 (3.724) |
86.1 (3.39) |
76.2 (3) |
68.3 (2.689) |
104.6 (4.118) |
73.4 (2.89) |
89.1 (3.508) |
120.8 (4.756) |
113.3 (4.461) |
1,067.9 (42.043) |
| Snowfall cm (inches) | 53.9 (21.22) |
41.2 (16.22) |
21.2 (8.35) |
4.2 (1.65) |
0.3 (0.12) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.7 (0.28) |
1.3 (0.51) |
26.3 (10.35) |
149.0 (58.66) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 17 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 138 |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 8 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 112 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 11 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 32 |
| Source: Environment Canada | |||||||||||||
Read more about this topic: Cape Sable Island
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