Whitehorse witnessed its wettest winter on record this season, receiving over two-and-a-half times the average precipitation, according to Environment Canada. This was just one of several records broken during an exceptionally cold and snowy winter in Yukon. The Whitehorse airport recorded 139.8 millimetres of precipitation from December 1 to February 28, significantly surpassing the seasonal norm of 52.1 millimetres for the same period. Additionally, this winter ranked as the 24th coldest on record for the city since data recording began in 1941.
Meteorologist Brian Proctor from Environment Canada highlighted that the average temperature in Whitehorse for the months of December, January, and February is usually -13.3 degrees Celsius. However, this winter saw temperatures dropping to -16.9 degrees Celsius, marking a difference of 3.6 degrees colder than the usual temperatures. The weather office defines the meteorological winter as the period from December 1 to the end of February, and the winter from 2025 to 2026 was colder than the norm across most of Yukon due to a prolonged Arctic high-pressure ridge lingering over the territory.
Although the three-month period did not set any temperature records, Proctor noted that many communities experienced record-breaking low minimum temperatures on specific days. For instance, Faro broke 13 low minimum temperature records in December, with a low of -45.6 degrees Celsius on December 11, the lowest since 1966. Other locations like Burwash Landing, Kluane Lake area, Carmacks, Beaver Lake, Teslin, Watson Lake, and Whitehorse also broke low minimum temperature records multiple times in December.
Furthermore, some areas saw a wetter-than-average winter, with Dawson and Watson Lake ranking as the second wettest on record. Benoit Turcotte, a senior researcher at Yukon University, analyzed the data from Environment Canada and highlighted a significant number of days with temperatures below -20 degrees Celsius. He expressed concerns about the snowpack size and the potential for rapid melting in the spring, which could lead to property damage.
By the end of February, Whitehorse had 77 centimetres of snow on the ground, compared to 49 centimetres on the same day last year. Turcotte emphasized the risks associated with rapid snow melting, including potential damage to properties and infrastructure.