Hatters hit the South Saskatchewan River for a paddle on Friday afternoon at temperatures peaked at a high of 30 C. Even hotter temperature of 34 C was predicted for Saturday before rain and lower temperatures were set to settle in on Sunday and Monday. -- NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT, Friday, June 8, 2018
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade
Environment Canada says the number of days in a row with temperatures at more more than 30C is significant, and there are more coming.
“This muscle-shirt, tank-top, beer-drinking weather is going to continue,” said David Phillips, senior climatologist for Environment Canada.
Medicine Hat has already had three days in a row at more than 30 C and there are likely to be another three still to come, said Phillips. It was 30.3 C on Saturday and 34.2 on Sunday, which was one degree below a record.
“Normally it would be about 26 C,” said Phillips noting that makes Monday’s temperature 10 degrees warmer than normal.
Environment Canada records the temperature in the shade near the airport in Medicine Hat.
Phillips says if you are outside in the sunshine and surrounded by buildings that are radiating the heat, you may have felt the equivalent of 42 C on Monday.
Phillips say it is likely August will turn out to have the highest number of days with temperatures above 30 C.
In the months of June, July and August there have been 19 days above 30 C so far. Normally there would be about 16 days for that time frame, said Phillips.
Although we seldom have much humidity in this area we are experiencing some, he explained. This is in part due to the good rainfall in the past few months resulting in more water to evaporate. There is also humidity given off by the crops.
For people without air conditioning the night-time temperature is really important and most nights this week it will be about 18 C. We would normally have an overnight low of about 11 C, said Phillips.
There is unlikely to be any precipitation until at least Thursday night.
“Nothing but wall-to-wall sunshine,” said Phillips, noting warm weather is likely to continue until September. “There’s about a six-degree cooling (coming) in September.”
