Submitted by Bill Caulfeild-Browne
On average May was warmer than usual although it didn’t always feel like it. This was because the second week was positively summer-like, with temperatures consistently reaching into the twenties, while the rest of the month was cool.
The warmest day was the 12th at 28.2C on Big Tub and in the 30’s further down the Peninsula. Usually I check the records for the Environment Canada station at the airport for the “inland” highs, but the records are missing for the 11th and 12th. Perhaps the government station just couldn’t stand the heat. The month ended with a hint of summer once more; the 31st hit 25.6C.
There was just a hint of frost on the 5th when the mercury shrank to -0.2C but that was the last vestige of winter. Overall, the month was 1.9C above normal. And it was very sunny – twenty days were clear from dawn til dusk, and only 4 days were truly dull. Three of those were the 20th-22nd when a severe thunderstorm soaked us with over 50 mm. of rain. Our total for the month was 70mm. This is slightly more than normal but very welcome after 16 days with no precipitation at all. Our gardens were grateful.
Elsewhere in Ontario much the same pattern occurred with greater swings for areas away from the modifying effects of the Great Lakes. Petawawa reached 35.5C and Ottawa had three straight days above 30C – a record for mid-May. But the worst weather was the derecho that ran through Southern Ontario into Quebec, causing widespread damage and at least ten deaths. Winds at one point exceeded 190 kms/hr. Over a million households lost power and at the time of writing many are still suffering – particularly around Ottawa. The number and frequency of these sorts of events is increasing as climate change takes its toll.
I must acknowledge the valuable information I receive from Environment and Climate Change Canada for areas beyond my own weather station. Their media bulletin is an excellent source.
