Rainfall increasing across North: Environment Canada

The warming climate is resulting in more rain and snow in the North, Environment Canada climatologist David Phillips says. The increase in precipitation can be seen across all three territories, but especially in the High Arctic, Phillips told CBC News this week. "Precipitation increases, for example, over the Northwest Territories would be somewhere around 25 to 30 per cent as opposed to 45 per cent in the High Arctic," he said. "The Yukon is showing increases maybe around 15 per cent." Although most of the precipitation arrives in the form of snow, it is the amount of rainfall that has increased the most and he expects the trend to continue. "What really has changed is the number of rain days. When it rains, it rains in heavier amounts and clearly that's adding to the rainfall total of, say, what was expected during the 1970s compared to what we're seeing in recent years," he said. More rain can cause higher river levels and erosion, he said. It can also be a problem for wildlife, such as caribou, if it freezes and covers grazing areas with ice.