It’s been a much wetter than normal July in Cochrane, and it’s not over yet.
Christy Climenhaga, a scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, says the Calgary region has already seen well over 100 millimetres of rain this month.
“Depending on where you are in proximity to the foothills, it’s a little bit more, a little bit less,” she says. “But we're already well above what's considered normal for July.”
Cochrane is once again under a rainfall warning, and she says volunteer reports show the area has already received between 10 and 20 millimetres in the last 24 hours.
The average July rainfall for the Calgary area is 65.7 millimetres. This year, that mark has been surpassed, and the number is still climbing.
“By the end of the day, we may have doubled what’s typical for the month.”
While the region may get a break later in the week, Climenhaga says there’s still more moisture in the forecast.
“We’ll have a little bit of relief and some sunshine by Thursday, but still some showery weather in the long range on and off,” she explains.
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And as if the rain isn’t enough, there’s also a chance of frost in Cochrane tonight.
“A cold front swept through and that’s bringing in very chilly conditions,” says Climenhaga. “It’s a good night to cover up your plants if you have them outside.”
Despite the cool and damp weather recently, Alberta may not be robbed of summer just yet.
Climenhaga says the seasonal forecast models initially predict a warmer than normal summer, though expectations have shifted.
“Now our models are starting to tamper down that warmer than normal note,” she says. “That doesn’t mean cooler than normal, it just means there’s no clear signal for August.”
Although this past week and a half has been on the cooler side, she says there were warm spells earlier in the season that may still pull the summer average up.
“Snow in the mountains and -1 degree temperatures in July is cold, no question, but the summer could still trend warmer than normal.”