Long-standing weather records fell across Canada during July
July turned into a memorable month of shattered weather records across the country
July was a memorable month for weather extremes across Canada. Prolonged heat sparked raging wildfires throughout the western half of the country while folks in the east dealt with flooding from torrential downpours.
The extreme weather many communities experienced last month wound up shattering decades-old records. Here’s a look at some of the remarkable weather records we witnessed this past month.
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B.C.’s extended heat reached record heights
British Columbia saw a remarkable spell of sustained heat throughout the month. The persistent heat lasted even longer than the infamous heat dome back in the summer of 2021.
The countrywide record for the most consecutive days at or above 35°C fell six times over as a result of B.C.’s extended heat wave. The old record streak was 14 days in a row set in St. Albans, Manitoba, back in July 1936.
Osoyoos is the new national record-holder at a whopping 18 consecutive days at or above 35°C, hitting the mark every day between July 5 and July 22.
Five other cities exceeded the old Manitoba record in their own right, including Lillooet and Lytton both with 17 days, Billings and Warfield at 16 days, and Castlegar with its own 15-day streak.
Alberta ended July with its own list of temperature records
There was no shortage of fallen records on the other side of the Rockies, either. Alberta recorded multiple temperature firsts across the province throughout the month of July.
Calgary saw its warmest month ever recorded with a mean daily temperature of 20.49°C, which takes into account the daytime, nighttime, and average daily temperature combined.
Calgary wasn’t alone on that front—the City of Edmonton also witnessed its warmest month on record with a mean daily temperature of 27.87°C. This far exceeds its usual mean daily temperature of 22.02°C.
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The weather station in the City of Edmonton also measured the most 30°C days ever observed there during the month of July, hitting or exceeding the mark 11 times. The previous record was nine 30-degree days back in 1975.
Banff was right there with Edmonton on 30-degree days, hitting that mark 11 times and beating the old record of nine days set back in 1994.
Toronto may have witnessed its wettest month
It’s not just temperatures that set records across the country back in July.
Toronto's Pearson International Airport recorded its wettest July on record with a whopping 215.4 mm of rain in the gauge by the end of the month. 97.8 mm of rain fell on July 16 alone, making for the fifth-wettest day ever recorded at the airport.
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There’s a chance that July’s rainfall totals measured up to Toronto’s wettest month on record. However, meteorologists with Environment and Climate Change Canada will spend some time investigating three missing days of data from July 2013 to see if that month’s rainfall totals surpass this past July’s.
Folks across Eastern Canada also endured record rains throughout the month of July.
Montreal saw its rainiest July day in 144 years when 79.2 mm of rain fell there on July 10. Kentville, Nova Scotia, clocked in with its rainiest July on record with 201.8 mm of rain in the gauge by the end of the month.
Heat accompanied the mugginess that allowed for such heavy rains to fall. Halifax Airport saw one of its warmest Julys on record this past month, and folks across the Gulf in Gander saw the 30-degree mark three times, helping to make for the city’s second-hottest July on record.
What does August have in store across the country? Check out The Weather Network’s August outlook for all the latest on what to expect for your month ahead.
Header image created with imagery from Canva.
