City’s rainy July far from making the record book
About 137 mm of more precipitation needs to fall this month to hit 2016 mark
Tank tops and flip-flops have given way to raincoats and boots throughout much of this summer in Calgary.
The gloomy weather has been especially prominent this past month, but Environment Canada says this July still has a long way to go to match the wettest ever.
More rain is in the forecast for Friday, with Environment Canada forecasting a 60 per cent chance of showers. The seven-day forecast calls for more rain next Tuesday and Wednesday.
So far in July, it has rained 10 of the first 17 days, according to meteorologist Dan Kulak.
“If we didn’t get another drop for the rest of the month, we’d still have more than normal for July,” he said.
This month has seen a total of about 69 millimetres of rain. The average for the entirety of July is 65.5.
This follows a fairly wet June, which saw 117.2 millimetres fall in Calgary, up from the average of about 94. It marked the 30th-wettest June of 106 on record, according to Kulak.
But a drier-than-normal May actually makes the two months, when viewed together, seem fairly normal.
Only 34.7 millimetres of rain fell in May, down from the average of 56.8. May and June combined usually see 150.8 millimetres of rainfall, just below the 151.9 millimetres that fell this year.
“So between the two of them, you’re a millimetre from normal,” said Kulak.
Still, Calgary hasn’t felt the summer conditions it’s used to so far this season. The city normally gets four days of 30 C or warmer per year. The hottest day in July to date only reached 25.6 C.
In addition to some localized flooding in Calgary, other extreme weather events have occurred throughout the province.
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, there have been 15 reported tornadoes since April across Alberta, 12 of which that were confirmed and three that were probable.
The 30-year average number for reported tornadoes in Alberta is 12.
Kulak said better weather might soon be on the horizon.
“We do have more showers-type weather in the next couple days here, then some heat throughout the weekend, and then kind of warming up for the next week, though that chance of showers,” he said.
“So we’re kind of getting some summer-ish weather.”
Despite a rainier-than-normal July, the city still would need much more precipitation to match the 206 millimetres that fell during the same month in 2016, he noted.