| Harvey Specter | 07-30-2009 05:14 PM |
Canada: More 'bummer summer' forecast for August
LOL @ people in Toronto. Always talking shit about Vancouver and how it rains so much, well now you got our rain so enjoy it! Quote:
TORONTO — It's been a "bummer of a summer" weather-wise across the country and August will likely bring more of the same, according to Canada's top weather watcher.
Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips said Thursday the common denominator across Eastern Canada has been unseasonably cool temperatures and rain, while in B.C. it's sweltering hot.
"In B.C. and the North they've have had too much summer. They have not had enough in the Prairies and we've had none," Phillips said from Toronto. "From Manitoba eastward we're still waiting for summer."
A number of B.C. cities recorded their highest temperatures ever on Wednesday, as the mercury rose well above 30 C. In Vancouver, temperatures hit a peak of 33.8 C, breaking a previous record of 33.3 C, set in 1960.
Kim Steinbart, a provincial fire information officer in B.C., said firefighters have seen a 50 per cent increase in the number of fires started over last year. While the number of hectares burned has been average for the season, she said more fires have started near communities.
Last week, thousands of Kelowna residents returned home after being evacuated due to raging blazes in central B.C.
"We have seen a heat wave for some time now and we're expecting it to continue for the next while. The entire province has been left very vulnerable to fire starts, so we're at the point where pretty much anywhere you go any source of ignition can and will cause a fire," Steinbart said.
Meanwhile, Alberta and Saskatchewan are starting to see summer after "eight months of misery" and a cold, dry spring that devastated crops, Phillips said.
Phillips said across Ontario the weather has been cooler and rainier.
Ottawa recorded the wettest month in the city's history, breaking the June 2002 record of 224.8 mm by almost 10 mm.
The only good news in Ontario is the air has been "crystal clear," Phillips said.
He said Toronto recorded one smog day in May, and none in June and July.
"This time last year we had nine smog days and in 2005 we had closer to 35," he said. "It has really been a great breathing summer — good for asthmatics and anybody with respiratory problems."
Across the country for August: "What we've seen is what we're going to get," Phillips said.
"We'll see British Columbia, Alberta, and western Saskatchewan with warmer-than-normal temperatures and precipitation that will be close to normal. From Manitoba to parts of the Maritimes we're seeing colder than normal and in most of those areas, wetter than normal, so the misery continues."
As for the long weekend weather, Phillips said it will be sunny and warm along the coast of B.C.
Calgary will see temperatures three to six degrees warmer than normal with a chance of rain on Sunday and Monday.
Saskatchewan will see "wall to wall" sun. Toronto will see sun on Saturday and Monday and clouds and a 60 per cent chance of rain on Sunday.
Ottawa will also see a sunny Saturday, mix of cloud and sun on Sunday and 60 per cent chance on rain on Monday.
In Muskoka, Phillips said to plan for a mix of sun and cloud on Saturday and showers for Sunday and Monday.
"The weather won't be a disappointment this weekend except through Manitoba and northern and central Ontario," Phillips said.
— with files from the National Post
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
| |
