When the rain came, it poured

The rain Hamilton received in the past two weeks is about double what the city normally gets during that period.

When the sky opened Thursday night, it doused the city with 16.6 millimetres of rain during a fivehour period, but it wasn’t record. According to Environment Canada’s David Phillips, the record is 32.1 mm, set in 1982. “It’s not the rescue rains, it’s relief rain,” he said. “In the last 15 days, it’s rained eight of them, so the weather has changed in the last two weeks.”

Between Aug. 11 and 25, the normal amount of rainfall is 38 mm. According to Environment Canada totals, the city has seen 72 mm. The rainfall total for the month of August, so far, is up by about 20 mm.

The larger picture shows Hamilton’s rainfall between May 1 and Aug. 25 to be 62 per cent of the normal amount. “Hamilton Airport has recorded 207 mm where the normal is 329 mm,” said Phillips.

There have been 27 days about 30 C, with every month this summer being warmer than normal.

Phillips said the next seven days will bring dry, warm conditions with a chance of rain forecast for Sunday. As people head into the long weekend, expect to see temperatures at a more “comfortable level.” The norm for this time of year is 23 C.