Do you like colder than average temperatures? Heavier than usual amounts of rain? Well, there’s good news, as it is likely to continue well into August.
A total of 88 millimetres of rain fell in Grande Prairie in July, with an average temperature of 15.6 degrees. Neither is record-setting, with the long term average sitting at 76 millimetres of precipitation, and an average temperature of 16.4 degrees. However, Dan Kulak with Environment Canada believes it can sure make it feel like a big difference.
“Half a degree doesn’t sound like much, but it’s enough to get people to think that’s it’s something a little bit different about the month,” he said.
Kulak adds those trends look set to continue, at least in the short term, which may not be great news for those looking at outdoor activities in the last full month of summer.
“The warmest time of the year is normally that end of July, beginning of August. Temperatures in the upper teens for daytime highs in the next couple of days, and even cooler on the weekend, and some showers or rain as well. This pattern seems to be continuing as we move almost until the middle of August.”
Kulak notes, however, that there can’t be a rainbow until after it rains, and he hopes the longer-term forecast will bring a curveball which has been seen in recent years.
“It’s not that we can’t get out of that. I do remember some years, even in the last decade or so, where some of the warmest weather we’ve had in the whole season is in September.”
In the meantime, residents should keep umbrellas handy.