It’s been a chilly week in the southeast so far with recent daily highs peaking in the high teens or low twenties. Environment and Climate Change Canada Meteorologist Crawford Luke explains the cooler temperatures are thanks to an upper trough lingering over the region.
“We have this upper trough that's just been persistently hanging around, and typically when we see this pattern, we would expect to see colder temperatures associated with it. So that's kind of what we're dealing with, today especially, and for much of the week, and then it looks like gradually things will begin to warm up towards the weekend.”
Alongside the cooler weather have come some periods of steady rainfall, with more expected leading up to the weekend. However, the current forecast doesn’t indicate the risk of thunderstorm activity. Luke says this is a reprieve from the storm activity the area saw in June and earlier this month.
“There were a few weeks there where it got quite busy, kind of at the end of June and start of July, and of course we had that big tornado day on June 19th."
“It definitely seems like the thunderstorms have calmed down this week across the province, but it kind of felt like there were a few weeks there where it was going pretty steady.”
There is still plenty of warm summer weather to come according to Luke, who explains that while this week was unseasonably cold, the conditions otherwise have been normal. The beginning of the season saw predictions of a warmer than average summer, but things have been on par with average summer conditions otherwise.
“Some cold days, some hot days, but the overall average is basically where we would expect it to be. So in the near term, it doesn't look like there's any substantial heat over the next few days, just kind of getting back to near normal temperatures for the weekend. And then perhaps looking at some warm weather early next week. But still a few days out.”
Luke notes that people can often perceive seasonal conditions differently than they actually are, saying it might have to do with how weather conditions affect people's schedules.
"There's been a few parts of the country this year where people have been talking about how it feels colder than normal or this or that. And they call in and we don't really have any numbers that match their feelings. It's interesting, I mean, I'm guilty of it as well. Sometimes I think it's cold or warm and then I can't find a number to support my story.
It's fascinating."