Warmer weather

Temperature-wise, it’s not the summer of all summers.

But after last year’s icy blast through June, July and August, it sure feels like it.

Climatologist Graham Saunders on Tuesday said throughout the summer the daily temperatures are averaging about three or four degrees below normal, compared to 2009 when it was about three or four degrees below normal.

"We’ve had a lack of two summers that have been less than spectacular," Saunders said. "And now we do. It’s been a fabulous summer, for sure."

He’s got a fairly good idea why Thunder Bay has enjoyed such a balmy vacation season.

"In weather talk we’ve had a ridge of high pressure in central North America, up the Mississippi River. That’s been pumping warm, and sometimes fairly humid air north into our region."

According to data provided by Environment Canada, temperatures in Thunder Bay averaged 19 C last month, 3.4 degrees more than July 2009.

That’s slightly lower temperatures than the city experienced in 1988, 1998 and 2005, but the numbers are close, Saunders said.

For example, the city averaged 19.4 degrees in July 1988.

The warm-weather trend continued through the first nine days of August, which saw the average temperature dip slightly to 18.8 C, 3.7 degrees warmer than a year ago during the same timeframe.
Saunder said it’s a little cloudier when trying to predict just how long the higher-than-average temperatures will last.

"I think the next few days are going to be warmer than normal, and then we’ll go into about normal or even a little cooler for the next week after that," he said.

"(Any) longer than that it’s tough to predict and actually be right about it."

He doubts, however, if golfers will still be playing this year in mid-November, a rarity that occurred last fall when temperatures soared well beyond annual norms.

"You can wish for that, but I wouldn’t count on that happening this year. I’m not saying it won’t, but it’s not set up. The El Nino that we had last year probably assisted your golfing in November. That’s not going to be around. Maybe there will be some other reason you’ll have good weather for golfing, in let’s say October," Saunders said.

With the sun shining and warming the Northwest, it’s also been a banner year for the anti-rain crowd, at least through July.

Environment Canada statistics show the city experienced just 36.7 millimetres of rain, a sharp drop from the 103 millimetres that fell in July 2009. Rainfall is up in August, however.