Communications Directorate

SUMMER 1997 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

Introduction

Summer '97 had something pleasant for almost everyone in Canada. By every account, except agriculture, the weather in June, July and August was a vast improvement over the catastrophic floods, destructive hailstorms and frequent hurricanes of the past two summers.

A long, cool, wet spring led to dry, sunny weather over most of the country. For example, between May 31 and September 1, 26 of 31 weekend days and holidays were rain-free in Toronto and Ottawa.

There was also good news in the forests of Canada. This summer had the fewest number of forest fires and the second lowest area burned in 25 years.

However, in many parts of Canada, farmers struggled through one of the driest summers in years. For a stretch of three weeks or more during the "dog" days of summer, many farming areas east of the Rockies went without any sustained rainfall.

Temperature and Precipitation

As for temperature, warm in the West and near-normal in the East sums up the summer of 1997. Nationally, Canada experienced the 13th warmest summer in 50 years. Nine of the last ten summers have been warmer than normal.

The summer precipitation pattern was clear across Canada - very wet in the far west, Yukon and north, and dry from the southern Prairies to Newfoundland. For British Columbia and the Canadian Northwest, it was well within the top ten of the wettest summers in half a century. By contrast, Atlantic Canada and the northern forest areas of Ontario and western Quebec experienced their fifth driest summer in 50 years.

On a global basis, temperatures at land stations around the world during June, July and August, as compiled by the U.S. National Aeronautical and Space Administration, showed that summer 1997 was 0.33° C. warmer than normal. It was the 19th consecutive summer with a warm anomaly. For the year to date, 1997 is shaping up to be similar to last year, and one of the five warmest in 132 years.

A Reprieve from Summer Storms

This summer was noteworthy for the relatively few number of severe weather events, and in marked contrast to the disasters that plagued Canada last summer.

The only notable exception to a storm-free summer was the interior of British Columbia. On July 11, heavy rains combined with debris to clog sewers, causing floods and mud slides that resulted in more than $1 million in damages to homes and resorts and washed out roads in BC's northern Okanagan Valley. About a week later, a destructive hail and wind storm ripped through the orchards of the Okanagan. Almost all exposed fruit was slashed or knocked off trees. Damages were estimated at over a $100 million in what growers said was the worst storm in memory. And on August 6th, strong winds of 75 to 110 km/h ripped out dozens of majestic old trees in Kelowna's parks, causing damage of $2 million to marinas on Okanagan Lake. The storm damaged nearly half the 500 boats at the Kelowna Yacht Club.

On two occasions this summer, there were winds gusts to 100 km/h in Chatham, Ontario. Residents were kept busy cleaning up debris from fallen trees and smashed building materials.

BC's "Big Wet"

Monsoonal rains that began in the fall of 1996 continued to plague British Columbia. From October 1996 to the end of August 1997, Vancouver, Victoria and Kamloops received more precipitation than any previous 11- or even 12-month period. Rain showers were generally heavy but brief. For example, July set a new high monthly rainfall record; most of that record total came from a single storm on July 8. On that same day, Henderson Lake on Vancouver Island recorded 194 mm of rain in 16 hours.

Well-deserved sunshine and warmth finally arrived to the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island on July 11, starting nearly five weeks of summery weather. Unfortunately, it coincided with Vancouver's garbage strike.

On the Farm

For the second consecutive year, cool, wet spring weather delayed seeding across most agricultural areas. Some growers said it was the coldest growing season in memory with some grain crops still not in the ground on June 1. Many farmers had to re-seed their fields or plough them under and then revert to a quick growing crop like soybeans.

Across the West, warmer conditions late in May allowed farmers to practically finish seeding by the first week of June. But in Manitoba, it was a different story. By mid-June farmers had yet to seed only about 2000 hectares of the more than 180,000 hectares in southern Manitoba inundated during the Red River flood.

Hot, dry conditions at critical growing times made the summer difficult for many farmers. In some regions of the Prairies, the dry conditions were the worst in 10 years. Statistics Canada has forecasted that, due to the extremely dry conditions throughout July in the southern and central areas of the Prairies, a reduced acreage and lower yields will result in the largest drop in Canadian wheat production in nine years. Total wheat production will be down almost 23% from last year's record crop, but production of grains and oilseeds is still expected to be slightly above the ten-year historical average.

Between July 18 and August 12, the Ottawa Valley was without any appreciable rain. Farmers in Renfrew County were forced to dip into their stored food reserves to feed cattle or to sell off their herd in order to make loan payments. Forage crops yielded only half of what was expected. September is being called the make it or break it month, before the traditional October 1st frost. However, on September 4, there was a general killing frost in central Ontario.

Nova Scotia received less than 10% of July's average rainfall - fewer than 8 mm of rain in some areas - an all-time low. Irrigation ditches and farm ponds dried up and farmers were forced to plough up fruit and vegetable crops.

Whereas farmers in large parts of Canada were faced with the first drought in a decade, BC farmers worried about root rot and mould, especially on raspberries and potatoes in the Fraser Valley.

"No-Name" Hurricane Season

So far this year, Atlantic hurricanes have been generally few and weak. By Labour Day, only four little storms: Ana, Bill, Claudette, and Danny had developed. Surprisingly, for a hurricane season that was to be active due to warmer than normal tropical sea temperatures, it has been the quietest in 15 years. So far! The Atlantic was free of tropical storms from July 20 to September 5. Scientists claim that the appearance of a strong El Nino and its prevailing westerly winds are cancelling out the effects of warm ocean waters by shearing off the tops of any disturbances that might begin to develop in the tropical Atlantic.

All Smoke...No Fire

The forest fire season in Canada began on an ominous note. In late May and early June, warm weather and frequent lightning strikes were responsible for a high number of blazes and hazardous fire conditions across northern Ontario and western Quebec. People in Timmins said that smoke from burning wood and smouldering pine needles had never come into town like it did this year.

In Quebec's western timber and mining region, thick smoke blocked roads linking Abitibi and James Bay. About 1800 residents remained away from their homes as more than 100 forest fires raged during the second week of June.

In June and July, hot weather left forest areas in the East extremely vulnerable to fire. However, the absence of lightning strikes kept fires to a minimum after the first half of June. Provincial authorities banned open burning and several logging companies suspended operations on several occasions.

As of September 3, the Canadian Forest Service reported that there were 5,681 wildfires across Canada, only 2/3 of the 10-year average of 8,489 fires and the fewest number in 25 years of records. The area burned amounted to only 19 percent of the average, 502,223 hectares compared to the normal 10-year average burn of 2.6 million hectares.

World Weather

While the number of weather extremes was down in Canada, all over the world, there continued a run of extreme conditions and bizarre weather.

Britain experienced almost the wettest June this century. Yet, the real problem has been that the last 27 months were the driest in the 230-year history of record keeping. In August, Britain almost recorded its hottest month ever, with temperatures at times rising above 30° C. By contrast, the South Pole has been experiencing the coldest weather since record-keeping began 40 years ago. The average South Pole temperature during July was -66° C, breaking the previous record of -64.2° C set in July 1965.

Nineteen weeks of wet weather between April and July, caused some of the worst flooding this century in central Europe. The floods affected over three million people, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes. In eastern Germany, soldiers fought to save villages as dikes along the Oder River crumbled under flooding waters.

Warm El Nino waters spawned several severe storms in central Chile in June, July and August. Rainfall totals were up to ten times the normal amount that the area usually gets in an entire year. Chile's northern deserts received more rain in June than what normally falls in 30 years. By contrast, and on the other side of the world, the El Nino ushered in an early beginning of the dry season to Indonesia. Forest fires charred huge areas, and haze forced cancellation of several flights. Droughts have also stricken the Philippines, other parts of southeast Asia and Australia.

Heads Up to Fall and Winter

Every month since April 1996, precipitation in the Great Lakes Basin has been up and water levels have risen. Environment Canada forecasts that water levels in some of the Great Lakes will come within 10 to 15 cm of their all-time record high water mark. Because the fall always brings the worst storms on the Lakes, property along the shore and inland will be especially vulnerable to storm surges.

In recent months, a strong warm El Nino has emerged in the tropical Pacific off South America. As a result of the warm Pacific waters, Environment Canada has forecasted above normal temperatures in the fall for all of the country except Atlantic Canada where temperatures are expected to be seasonable. Given the current oceanic and atmospheric conditions and the projections from various models, strong El Nino conditions are expected to continue through the winter. Winter temperatures are expected to be milder than normal in western and central Canada, accompanied by below normal precipitation from the Rockies to the St. Lawrence Valley.

WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM SUMMER OF 1997

BRITISH COLUMBIA

NORTH OKANAGAN

Rivers rose to flood stage due to heavy rains and snowpack runoff in early June.

FRASER RIVER

Highest water levels in 25 years threatened communities along the lower Fraser in early June.

VANCOUVER

Two funnel clouds were spotted in southern suburbs on June 21.

VICTORIA

Heavy rain on June 29 added to the month's total rainfall which amounted to twice the normal. The sudden downpour caused storm drains to back up.

VICTORIA AND VANCOUVER

In 90-minutes, more than 7000 lightning strikes flashed in Greater Vancouver and southern Vancouver Island in a driving rain and thunderstorm on July 6. Water washed out a bridge in suburban Surrey. On Vancouver Island waterspouts were spotted off the south coast.

VANCOUVER AND VANCOUVER ISLAND

During the evening of July 7 and early morning on the 8th, Vancouver received more than 37 mm of rain for the second heaviest one-day rainfall ever recorded in July and exceeding the normal rainfall of 36 mm for the month. At Henderson Lake on Vancouver Island, 194 mm of rain fell in 16 hours.

OKANAGAN VALLEY, BC

Heavy rain mixed with debris clogged and overwhelmed culverts and triggered floods and mud slides on July 11 in BC's northern Okanagan Valley. Damages amounted to more than $1 million damage to homes and vacation resorts.

OKANAGAN VALLEY

Rain, hail and wind ripped through the Okanagan on July 21. The 15-mm diameter hail and strong winds bruised apples and damaged cherry trees which may take two of three years to recover. Damages were estimated at over a $100 million in what growers said was the worst storm in memory. Almost all exposed fruit was slashed or knocked off trees. At Kelowna, 33.8 mm of rain fell - the greatest rainfall ever for any day of the year.

VANCOUVER

The past ten months have been the soggiest in Vancouver's

history. From October to July, the Airport received 1,703.4 mm, compared with the previous wettest 12 months on record, 1,694.2 mm from March 1981 to February 1982. Similar ten month precipitation records were also set at Victoria and Kamloops.

LOWER MAINLAND AND OKANAGAN

A sudden thunderstorm sprung up on August 6 across southern regions of BC leaving 70,000 people without hydro in Vancouver and 80 airplanes stranded on the ground at the airport. The storm, with about 20,000 strikes of lightning, sparked more than 40 forest fires. Winds of 75 to 110 km/h ripped out dozens of majestic old trees in city parks and caused damage in the neighborhood of $2 million dollars to boats and docks. On Okanagan Lake, the storm damaged nearly half of the 500 boats at the Kelowna Yacht Club

VANCOUVER

August temperatures were the second warmest on record. The average temperature reached 19° C compared to a normal mean of 17.4° C. Sunshine hours averaged almost 10% above normal and rainfall totals were slightly above normal.

 

ALBERTA

LAC LA BICHE, ALBERTA

On June 8, a tornado caused $250,000 damage when it hit cottages and trailers 200 km Northeast of Edmonton.

EDMONTON

In June, the city had 21 rainy days, tying the record for the most wet days which was originally set in 1915 and tied again in 1980. In total, 126.2 mm of rain fell, compared to a normal amount of 79.8 mm. Businesses were hurt by the inclement weather.

Northwest ALBERTA

Heavy rains bloated several rivers on July 13, washing out rail roads in 15 places, damaging bridges and flooding farmland.

 

SASKATCHEWAN

SASKATOON

Driving rains and fierce winds slammed into the city on July 11. Winds peaked at 130 km/h, uprooting old poplar trees, storage sheds and grain bins, and leaving pool fences twisted.

SOUTHEAST OF SASKATOON

Hail and high winds ripped through Zelma, on July 23, flattening crops and gardens.

SASKATOON

The temperature reached 38.6° C on August 7 smashing the previous day's record of 36.1° C for this date.

TRUAX

A tornado or plough wind struck and destroyed five granaries on August 27. Golf-ball size hail and winds of 120 km/h did some damage.

 

MANITOBA

WINNIPEG

Fears of swarming mosquitoes in waterlogged city never materialized this summer. Earlier flood water flowed too fast to enable larvae to hatch.

SOUTHERN MANITOBA

Baseball size hail fell for 10 minutes near Lyleton, on July 24 damaging crops. One farmer lost 1500 acres of what was looking like one of the best crops in years. The storm produced a tornado near Gimli that ripped up trees.

BRANDON

A lightning storm struck the city on August 8 the day before the Canada Summer Games were to open. Hail, rain and winds reaching speeds as high as 86 km/h ripped through the site destroying tents and much of the staging equipment.

 

ONTARIO

SOUTHERN ONTARIO AND QUEBEC

Freezing weather and heavy precipitation made for the second consecutive late start to growing season and one of the latest in memory across much of Ontario and Quebec. Most growing was about 10 days to two weeks behind schedule. By June 1, some grain seed was not yet in the ground.

LINDSAY, ONTARIO

Golf-ball size hail and 60 km/h winds pounded region north and east of Toronto on June 8.

EASTERN ONTARIO TO THE MARITIMES

Smoke from Ontario and Quebec forest fires descended on much of eastern Canada on June 10, causing breathing difficulties for some people.

NORTHERN ONTARIO

Hundreds of cottages and campsites were evacuated and several major roads closed as a result of forest fires in mid-June.

OTTAWA

A thunder and hailstorm swept across the city on June 12, uprooting trees, snarling traffic and knocking out hydro.

OTTAWA

A violent windstorm struck near Ottawa on June 21, tearing off roofs and knocking down power lines.

SAULT STE MARIE

The tallest known tree in Ontario fell in a devastating windstorm on June 24.

SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO

An air quality advisory was issued by Environment Canada on June 24 and again on June 28, 29 and 30.

WINDSOR TO LONDON

A severe thunderstorm pounded southwestern Ontario on July 2. The storm knocked down dozens of trees and powerlines and spawned a couple of twisters in the Chatham area. Winds of up to 60 km an hour tore through the London area and the wind peaked at 93 km/h in Windsor where 25 mm of rain fell in 30 minutes.

CHATHAM, ONT

A thunderstorm packing winds of 100 km/h pounded the city on July 8, the second time in less than a week. Hydro lines and trees were down everywhere, cutting power to about 10,000 residents.

OSHAWA

Hot hazy weather prompted smog warnings for residents of southern Ontario. Readings in Oshawa on July 13 reached 60, the worst in the province.

LONDON-KITCHENER

A severe thunderstorm and hail storm tore through the area on July 14. Winds reached 115 km/h flipping a plane onto the roof of an airport. The storm knocked out power to 1000 homes. One observer recorded an incredible 200 mm of rain in four hours. Near Stratford, water in fields lay more than a metre deep.

SOUTHERN ONTARIO

By mid-August, farming areas from southwestern to eastern Ontario remained in the midst of a drought. It was especially dry in Renfrew County, west of Ottawa, where some farmers were forced to sell cattle to make payments. The Ottawa region hadn't experienced a dry period this long since 1940.

NEAR OWEN SOUND

A tornado touched down in several spots on August 15. One twister smashed a cottage and tossed its occupants into a shallow lake where they almost drowned.

KITCHENER-WATERLOO

Lightning struck the police headquarters building, knocking out the 911 system and its backup for four hours on August 16.

NORTH LAKE ERIE SHORELINE

A line of severe thunderstorms hit along the Lake Erie shoreline on August 16. The damaging winds and lightning downed trees in the Windsor-Leamington area and damaged the tent at the Leamington Tomato Festival.

SOUTHERN ONTARIO

A series of cold-air funnels, not tornadoes, were spotted north of Toronto and in the Niagara region on August 22. The funnels, two hundred metres high and up to 15 metres wide, lasted about five minutes, but did no damage when they touched down.

 

QUEBEC

CENTRAL QUEBEC

About 1800 residents fled their homes on June 11 as more than 100 forest fires raged across the province.

MONTREAL

On July 3, a one-hour hail and rain storm pelted Montreal and backed up more than 120 storm drains, partially flooding streets.

NEAR MONTREAL

A torrential rainstorm dumped 140 mm of rain on July 14. In Chambly, almost 10% of the town's residences had some water damage. For some families, it was the third flooding in 18 months.

 

MARITIMES

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

A heavy rainfall and lightning storm caused transformers to blow on June 22.

HALIFAX

A fierce thunderstorm struck the city on July 19, leaving 80,000 homes without electricity and snarling traffic for more than two hours. In some places, heavy rain reduced visibility to near zero, forcing motorists off the side of the road.

HALIFAX

A month of dry weather forced officials to close parks in the city on July 22. In July less than 10 mm of rain fell compared to normal July total of 98 mm. Park staff stopped using power saws and lawn mowers because of the threat from fuel and sparks.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND AND NOVA SCOTIA

The forest fire index measured extreme at the end of July for the first time this year. All open fires were banned in PEI forests. In Nova Scotia, more park closings were announced as many regions recorded less than 10% of normal July precipitation, an all-time low. Adding to the misery, swarms of voracious caterpillars threatened Christmas trees and blueberry crops in what officials called the worst infestation in 20 years.

HALIFAX

On August 9, popular Point Pleasant Park was reopened to the public following two days of steady rain and showers. More good news was that Shakespeare By The Sea could be moved from the parking lot to inside the park.

NOVA SCOTIA ATLANTIC COAST

Unusually good weather this summer shifted the marine food supply, drawing whales closer to shore in search of fish.

NOVA SCOTIA

A ban on travel through woodlands was lifted on August 13. After rain showers blueberry growers were more optimistic about this year's crops.

 

NEWFOUNDLAND

BONAVISTA, NEWFOUNDLAND

The replica of John Cabot's ship arrived on June 24; wind chill temperatures were -2° C.

GANDER, NF

Strong winds and cloud created problems for the hot-air balloon festival in early August.

 

 

 

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