Ottawa’s summer was supposed to be sticky and dry, and June passed the test with flying colours. But now the hot weather has taken a summer holiday of its own, with clouds and rain seemingly stuck in a holding pattern over the city.
This weekend’s wet weather appears to be the rule, rather than the exception, for this month. About 58.2 millimetres of rain have already fallen in July as of Saturday night, effectively sinking the previous month’s 30-day total of 49 millimetres.
In fact, if the cloudy skies continue to swirl above the city, the average rainfall for July, 90.6 millimetres, seems destined to be surpassed. That’s not too bad when you consider that the record, set in 1972, is 186.5 millimetres.
“That’s still within the normal range,” Andre Cyr, an Environment Canada meteorologist, said of our current wet woes. “It’s not extreme.”
The federal agency’s summer forecast called for hot and humid temperatures across Eastern Ontario, with less rain than normal. But long-range planning is always tricky, and even the best computer models need a bit of chance and luck to be accurate, Mr. Cyr said.
Vacationers and cottage-goers might disagree, but July temperatures have only been slightly below normal. The average high has been 24 C; the average low, 13.4 C. Both are just two degrees cooler than usual.
June was scorching by comparison. Eight days of 30-plus temperatures were recorded, topping out at 34.2 on the 26th.
Don’t expect a return to blazing heat just yet, Environment Canada advises. Wednesday’s forecast calls for sunshine and 26 C, but rain is possible today, Tuesday and Thursday. Temperatures are expected to hover around the monthly average until the end of July.
No hazy, 30-plus temperature readings are forecast over the next 10 days, Mr. Cyr said yesterday. The heat remains centred in Alberta and parts of British Columbia.
“It could still change, but there’s no sign it’s happening anytime soon,” he added.
Spring and summer are normally slower months at Playtime 4 Kids, an indoor play centre on Merivale Road. But the recent spate of gloomy weather means more families are staying indoors.
“We’re full, just like in the wintertime,” said owner Dragan Vujicic.
There’s good news to be found, though. Ottawa hasn’t seen a provincial smog advisory since late May; that one lasted two days. In 2006, there were a total of five days, according to the Ministry of Environment.
Meanwhile, the Ottawa River Regulating Planning Board, which manages the basin against flooding and hydroelectric overuse, reported the previous weekend’s rainfall in the Temagami section of the basin raised water levels all along the river.
That’s because heavy rains in Ottawa, closer to the river’s mouth at the St. Lawrence, are like the proverbial drop in the bucket in comparison. Rainfall occurring upriver on the 1,271-kilometre course, especially in Western Quebec, is a greater influence on water levels, according to Dan Brunton, a biologist and former president of Ottawa Riverkeeper.
“If they get a rainstorm, we could be sweltering in a drought, but looking at higher water levels,” he said.
Mr. Brunton, who’s been up to his knees in mud and water during recent forest hikes, said changes are often visible in smaller waterways such as Mud Lake or the Carp and Rideau rivers.