THUNDER BAY — Summer in the Northwest to date has been marked by plenty of sunshine, comfortable temperatures and not a lot of rain.
These conditions may not be ideal for farmers or for the crews who fight forest fires, but most other residents of the region most likely are pretty pleased with this weather pattern.
According to Environment Canada projections, the recent trend should continue through August.
Data released Monday shows that July in Thunder Bay has been remarkably close to the long-term average for the city in terms of temperature.
The average daily maximum recorded at the airport from July 1 to 30 was 24.5 C, or three-tenths of a degree warmer than normal.
Similarly, the average daily (over 24 hours) temperature at the airport was 17.5 C, just one-tenth of a degree below the long-term average.
Rainfall totals, however, show why farmers continued to be concerned about their crops earlier this month.
"I don't think this will come as a surprise to many folks, but we did come in notably drier than normal for the Thunder Bay area," Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson said.
Only 38.9 millimetres of rain fell at the airport between July 1 and 30, well under half the usual amount of precipitation.
Coulson said the low rainfall mirrored what happened across much of the rest of Northwestern Ontario.
But it wasn't anywhere near as unusual as in July 2021, when Thunder Bay received only 15.5 mm of rain.
Looking ahead to August, forecasters expect it will begin with seasonal temperatures until the middle of the month.
Based on current indicators, the latter half should be a bit warmer than normal.
