Skip to content

June provided weather roller coaster

Topsy-turvy is one way to describe June weather, although a local forecaster prefers "unsettled.”
51094trailwweather

By Sheri Regnier, Trail Times

Topsy-turvy is one way to describe June weather, although a local forecaster prefers "unsettled.”

"When I look at the weather patterns for June, it was more unsettled than anything," said Ron Lakeman, forecaster at the Southeast Fire Centre.

"Meaning the weather was changeable, sun shining at 8 a.m., rain by noon, followed by more sun."

With a total amount of precipitation 160 per cent above normal, June proved to be one of the wettest on record for a fourth straight year.

"Of the summer months June is by the far the wettest, and usually more prone for rain than May," he said.

During the first half of the month, a flat ridge of high pressure produced several sunny warm days, and a sporadic mix of light showers and thunderstorms.

The third week saw almost half the month's total precipitation, 62.4 millimetres, during a main rain event that began on June 18 and continued to the June 20.

In the midst of that deluge, June 19 set a new record when 46 mm. of rain fell, besting the 44.2 mm. that fell in 1986.

Lakeman said cold lows that move in from the Pacific tend to produce significant amounts of rain, and this year, the lows tended to move slowly, producing two or three days of rain at a time.

Muggy could also be a word to describe most of June, as the mean monthly temperature was 0.5 Celsius warmer than normal mainly due to relatively mild overnight values.

"All the way through the month, the average daytime temperature was normal," explained Lakeman.

"But the extra cloud cover overnight due to systems which produce precipitation, meant a full degree above normal at night."

The final few days of the month remained unsettled but a large ridge of high pressure from the south brought warmer temperatures.

"As we get through June and into the month of July, we typically see pattern changes and high pressure becomes more influential, bringing warmer temperatures." added Lakeman.