Snag | |
|---|---|
 Location east of Beaver Creek, Yukon | |
  Snag Location of Snag Show map of Yukon Snag Snag (Canada) Show map of Canada Snag Snag (North America) Show map of North America | |
| Coordinates:62°24′02″N140°21′50″W / 62.40056°N 140.36389°W /62.40056; -140.36389[1] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Territory | Yukon |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• Total | 0 (closed) |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| Area code | 867 |
Snag is a former village inYukon, Canada, located on a small, dry-weathersideroad off theAlaska Highway, 25 km (16 mi) east ofBeaver Creek. The village of Snag is located in a bowl-shaped valley of theWhite River and its tributaries, includingSnag Creek. It was first settled during theKlondike Gold Rush. A village ofIndigenous peoples was also located approximately 8 km (5.0 mi) away. It was the site of a military airfield, established as part of theNorthwest Staging Route, which closed in 1968. In 1947, the village of Snag boasted a population of eight to tenFirst Nations people andfur traders. An additional staff of fifteen to twenty airport personnel — meteorologists, radio operators, aircraft maintenance men — lived at the airport barracks.
Snag has asubarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dwc / Dfc) with mild summers and severely cold and long winters.
On February 2, 1947, Snag recorded a temperature of −62.2 °C (−80.0 °F), beating the continental North American record-low temperature that until then, belonged toFort Good Hope, Northwest Territories, when it reached −61.7 °C (−79.1 °F) on December 31, 1910. The next day, on February 3, 1947, the record was beaten again in Snag; −63.0 °C (−81.4 °F).[3]
That same winter, two previous records had already been surpassed: including the February 2 record, and one on December 15, 1946, noted various phenomena, particularly sound such as voices being heard clearly miles from their source.[citation needed] There was a clear sky (except for someice fog), and little to no wind. There were 38.1 cm (15.00 in) of snow on the ground, but the level had been in decline. Another town 180 km (110 mi) northeast of Snag,Fort Selkirk, claimed an even lower temperature of −65.0 °C (−85.0 °F), but the claim could not be confirmed.[4]
| Climate data for Snag (Snag Airport) Coordinates62°22′N140°24′W / 62.367°N 140.400°W /62.367; -140.400 (Snag Airport); elevation: 587 m (1,926 ft); 1951−1980 normals | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 7.8 (46.0) | 7.2 (45.0) | 13.3 (55.9) | 22.2 (72.0) | 30.0 (86.0) | 31.7 (89.1) | 31.7 (89.1) | 30.6 (87.1) | 27.2 (81.0) | 18.3 (64.9) | 7.2 (45.0) | 4.4 (39.9) | 31.7 (89.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −25.1 (−13.2) | −14.8 (5.4) | −4.6 (23.7) | 5.5 (41.9) | 13.5 (56.3) | 19.3 (66.7) | 20.9 (69.6) | 18.8 (65.8) | 11.9 (53.4) | −0.6 (30.9) | −14.2 (6.4) | −23.1 (−9.6) | 6.0 (42.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −30.4 (−22.7) | −22.0 (−7.6) | −14.1 (6.6) | −2.2 (28.0) | 6.4 (43.5) | 12.0 (53.6) | 14.0 (57.2) | 11.5 (52.7) | 5.2 (41.4) | −6.1 (21.0) | −19.3 (−2.7) | −28.2 (−18.8) | −6.1 (21.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −35.6 (−32.1) | −29.3 (−20.7) | −23.6 (−10.5) | −9.9 (14.2) | −0.7 (30.7) | 4.8 (40.6) | 7.0 (44.6) | 4.2 (39.6) | −1.7 (28.9) | −11.6 (11.1) | −24.4 (−11.9) | −33.1 (−27.6) | −12.8 (9.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −61.1 (−78.0) | −63.0 (−81.4) | −51.1 (−60.0) | −46.1 (−51.0) | −16.1 (3.0) | −5.0 (23.0) | −1.7 (28.9) | −10.6 (12.9) | −18.9 (−2.0) | −33.3 (−27.9) | −52.8 (−63.0) | −56.1 (−69.0) | −63.0 (−81.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 17.2 (0.68) | 16.0 (0.63) | 12.4 (0.49) | 17.9 (0.70) | 28.9 (1.14) | 58.3 (2.30) | 61.1 (2.41) | 39.0 (1.54) | 29.0 (1.14) | 21.0 (0.83) | 18.8 (0.74) | 18.9 (0.74) | 338.5 (13.33) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.1 (0.00) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.00) | 4.8 (0.19) | 23.2 (0.91) | 57.7 (2.27) | 61.1 (2.41) | 38.4 (1.51) | 22 (0.9) | 1.8 (0.07) | 0.5 (0.02) | 0.0 (0.0) | 209.7 (8.26) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 23.4 (9.2) | 17.1 (6.7) | 15.3 (6.0) | 12.2 (4.8) | 7.3 (2.9) | 1.1 (0.4) | 0.0 (0.0) | 3.6 (1.4) | 6.2 (2.4) | 21 (8.3) | 23.8 (9.4) | 23.7 (9.3) | 154.7 (60.9) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 9 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 122 |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 59 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm) | 10 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 70 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%)(at 1300LST) | 84 | 80 | 68 | 54 | 45 | 47 | 55 | 57 | 62 | 78 | 84 | 84 | 67 |
| Source:Environment and Climate Change Canada (temperatures)[5] (precipitation)[6] (humidity}[7] (February minimum)[3] | |||||||||||||
On January 26, 1950, aDouglas C-54 Skymaster (tail number 42-72469) of theUnited States Air Force, with thirty-four service personnel, two civilians and a crew of eight, disappeared on a flight fromAlaska toMontana. It was in the vicinity of Snag when last contact was made by radio at 17:09.[8] No wreckage or remains have ever been located.[9]
