Smith River, British Columbia
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name =Smith River
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|pushpin_map = Canada British Columbia
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|pushpin_map_caption =Location of Smith River in British Columbia
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Smith River is an abandoned emergency airport and weather station in the Liard Country of far northern British Columbia, Canada. It is located southwest of the junction of Shaw Creek with the Smith River,{{BCGNIS|21696|Smith River (locality)}} which enters the Liard between the confluences of the Toad and Coal Rivers.{{BCGNIS|21698|Smith River (river)}}
During World War II Smith River was built up and used as an airport base as defense against the Japanese if they should ever invade the mainland of North America. Nathaniel Lebans, a World War I Sapper with the Royal Engineers, supervised the construction of the emergency airport. Nat, or Slim, Lebans was from Blackville, New Brunswick and when to England to join the Royal Engineers in 1917. A 6000 ft long runway was built at Smith River, and the government maintained it until the 1970s, at which time the airport was abandoned. In the spring and summer of 1982, a forest fire consumed all the remaining buildings.{{Cite web|url=http://ensign.ftlcomm.com/ensign2/landscapes/North/smithRiver/july18_82/jul18_82.html|title=Smith River - Airport to Nowhere}}
Climate
It is located just south of the British Columbia-Yukon boundary, and is the location of the coldest temperature ever recorded in British Columbia and the eighth-coldest temperature on record in Canada: {{convert|-58.9|°C}}, on January 31, 1947.
{{Weather box
|width = auto
|single line = Y
|collapsed = Y
|metric first = Y
|location = Smith River (1941−1970 normals, extremes 1944−1969)
|Jan record high F = 49
|Feb record high F = 55
|Mar record high F = 57
|Apr record high F = 67
|May record high F = 89
|Jun record high F = 92
|Jul record high F = 89
|Aug record high F = 89
|Sep record high F = 80
|Oct record high F = 65
|Nov record high F = 56
|Dec record high F = 48
|year record high F = 92
|Jan high F = -2.4
|Feb high F = 11.6
|Mar high F = 27.2
|Apr high F = 41.9
|May high F = 57.0
|Jun high F = 66.2
|Jul high F = 69.6
|Aug high F = 66.2
|Sep high F = 55.4
|Oct high F = 39.5
|Nov high F = 16.7
|Dec high F = 2.2
|year high F = 37.6
|Jan mean F = -12.1
|Feb mean F = 0.4
|Mar mean F = 14.1
|Apr mean F = 30.4
|May mean F = 44.5
|Jun mean F = 53.6
|Jul mean F = 57.4
|Aug mean F = 54.0
|Sep mean F = 44.6
|Oct mean F = 30.7
|Nov mean F = 8.2
|Dec mean F = -6.7
|year mean F = 26.6
|Jan low F = -21.7
|Feb low F = -10.7
|Mar low F = 1.0
|Apr low F = 19.0
|May low F = 32.0
|Jun low F = 41.0
|Jul low F = 45.1
|Aug low F = 41.7
|Sep low F = 33.7
|Oct low F = 21.9
|Nov low F = -0.3
|Dec low F = -15.6
|year low F = 15.6
|Jan record low F = -74
|Feb record low F = -66
|Mar record low F = -50
|Apr record low F = -32
|May record low F = 9
|Jun record low F = 21
|Jul record low F = 29
|Aug record low F = 23
|Sep record low F = -2
|Oct record low F = -24
|Nov record low F = -54
|Dec record low F = -63
|year record low F = -74
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 1.48
|Feb precipitation inch = 1.15
|Mar precipitation inch = 0.98
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.82
|May precipitation inch = 1.08
|Jun precipitation inch = 2.19
|Jul precipitation inch = 2.68
|Aug precipitation inch = 1.93
|Sep precipitation inch = 1.59
|Oct precipitation inch = 1.46
|Nov precipitation inch = 1.49
|Dec precipitation inch = 1.47
|year precipitation inch = 18.32
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain inch = 0.03
|Feb rain inch = 0.01
|Mar rain inch = 0.03
|Apr rain inch = 0.18
|May rain inch = 0.85
|Jun rain inch = 2.16
|Jul rain inch = 2.68
|Aug rain inch = 1.93
|Sep rain inch = 1.46
|Oct rain inch = 0.68
|Nov rain inch = 0.13
|Dec rain inch = 0.02
|year rain inch = 10.16
|Jan snow inch = 14.7
|Feb snow inch = 11.6
|Mar snow inch = 9.9
|Apr snow inch = 6.6
|May snow inch = 2.3
|Jun snow inch = 0.2
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = trace
|Sep snow inch = 1.3
|Oct snow inch = 8.0
|Nov snow inch = 13.9
|Dec snow inch = 14.8
|year snow inch = 83.3
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 16
|Feb precipitation days = 14
|Mar precipitation days = 11
|Apr precipitation days = 9
|May precipitation days = 8
|Jun precipitation days = 12
|Jul precipitation days = 13
|Aug precipitation days = 11
|Sep precipitation days = 11
|Oct precipitation days = 13
|Nov precipitation days = 14
|Dec precipitation days = 16
|year precipitation days = 148
|unit rain days = 0.01 in
|Jan rain days = trace
|Feb rain days = trace
|Mar rain days = trace
|Apr rain days = 3
|May rain days = 7
|Jun rain days = 12
|Jul rain days = 13
|Aug rain days = 11
|Sep rain days = 11
|Oct rain days = 6
|Nov rain days = 1
|Dec rain days = trace
|year rain days = 64
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 15
|Feb snow days = 14
|Mar snow days = 11
|Apr snow days = 7
|May snow days = 2
|Jun snow days = trace
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = trace
|Sep snow days = 1
|Oct snow days = 8
|Nov snow days = 14
|Dec snow days = 16
|year snow days = 88
{{cite web
|publisher = Environment Canada
|url = https://climate.weather.gc.ca/doc/Canadian_Normals_Volume_1_1941-1970.pdf
|title = Canadian Climate Normals 1941–1970 Volume 1: Temperature
|access-date = August 9, 2023
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230809010003/https://climate.weather.gc.ca/doc/Canadian_Normals_Volume_1_1941-1970.pdf
{{cite web
|publisher = Environment Canada
|url = https://climate.weather.gc.ca/doc/Canadian_Normals_Volume_2_1941-1970.pdf
|title = Canadian Climate Normals 1941–1970 Volume 2: Precipitation
|access-date = August 9, 2023
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230809005934/https://climate.weather.gc.ca/doc/Canadian_Normals_Volume_2_1941-1970.pdf
|archive-date = 2023-08-09}}
}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
Category:Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia
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