THUNDER BAY — New statistics provided by Environment Canada on Monday show why Thunder Bay residents are wearing plenty of sunscreen this summer.
Compared with last year, conditions this season are considerably warmer and considerably drier.
In 2019, the city experienced not a single day with a temperature of at least 30 C.
So far this summer, Thunder Bay has reached 30 degrees or higher five times.
The average daily maximum so far this month is nearly 29 C, more than 2.3 degrees higher than the average daily high for the entire month of July 2019.
Temperature records show that Thunder Bay usually experiences daily maximums of about 24 C at this point in July.
The current seven-day outlook calls for warmer weather than that every day day except Tuesday.
Environment Canada also notes that this summer has been considerably drier than last year.
In July 2019 the city received 83 millimetres of rain, but so far this month only 6.8 millimetres has fallen.
Precipitation was also lower in June, which was appreciably warmer than the previous year.
The latest weather forecast models indicate there is a better chance of above-normal than below-normal temperatures for Thunder Bay right through August.
