The monsoon season in Edmonton is expected to end soon, but a little more rain could put the city on the record books.
From light rain to turning rains, the rains this month left Alberta too wet and the capital was not spared.
The storms turned the streets into streams. The basements are flooded. Galoshes have become an unexpected staple for travelers.
Alberts are experiencing an unusually wet June, and Edmonton has seen the wettest month in decades, Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips said Friday.
Wet, wet, wet
“Clearly it was just wet, wet, wet,” Phillips said. “It’s raining hard when it’s raining. And it rains often.
“When you look back in history, it may be the wettest June.”
So far this month, about 150 millimeters of rain has fallen in Edmonton – more than 2 times the average per month, Phillips said.
The city is on track to beat the all-time rainfall record for June, he said.
More than 25 millimeters fell on Thursday alone, Phillips said.
“I’ve been watching the last 23 days, at least 15 have been wet days,” he said. “And that’s a lot more than you’d see throughout the month of June.”
Phillips said things were only “a little wetter” in June 1998, when they fell 162 millimeters. The wettest June ever recorded in the city was in 1965, when 163 millimeters of rain were recorded.
“A good afternoon thunderstorm will give you that record,” Phillips said. “Within this assessment, you are the wettest June in history.
“I have to emphasize, you have another week until the end. We can always describe well the time we had, but the time that would happen is always a bit rotten.”
The latest rains have left Edmonton and Alberta communities overwhelmed this June. (Dave Howell / CBC)
Due to the jet flow conditions that form each spring, June is usually the wettest month, Philips said. But a mass of low air pressure – known as the upper trough – is moving through the countryside, contributing to the “darkness of June,” he said.
“It’s just that this very sustainable feature of the Gulf of Alaska comes into the countryside and hangs around and gives you a wet day.”
“Everything looks up”
Sun-seekers probably feel a little gloomy, but Phillips said they should take solace in the gloomy weather.
The rain, he said, is “money in the bank” for farmers and firefighters in the wild.
After a dry start to spring, the boisterous season will lay the groundwork for summer with healthy crops and a reduced risk of forest fires, he said.
And for those who refuse to dance in the rain, do not despair.
Conditions are expected to dry up next week, which will make room warmer than mid-July and August in Alberta, he said.
“The monsoon season is almost over,” Phillips said.
“I think psychologically this month was a little harder, but I would say it’s all up.
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