Submitted by Bill Caulfeild-Browne
At 140 mm. of precipitation it wasn’t the wettest April I’ve recorded – both 2011 and 2024 exceeded 155 mm. The difference is the way the rain fell. In those previous years it was spread fairly evenly over the month, whereas this year it occurred in two major storms. 40 mm. came during the 3rd-5th, and 50 mm. during the 12-14th. So much coming in short periods caused local flooding – no doubt helped by still-frozen ground in some areas. I should note that while Big Tub got 140 mm., the airport registered 159 mm.
The province as a whole had above normal precipitation. Single-day records were set at Sarnia with 48 mm and at Wiarton with 46 mm. At least we didn’t get the record snowfall of 18 cm. in Kapuskasing on the 8th.
On the other hand, temperatures were near normal, just half a degree above the long-term record. The mercury slipped to -8.1C on the 7th but bounced up to 23.2C on the 27th. It didn’t always feel that warm because it was quite a windy month with frequent maximum speeds of over 50 kms/hr. They reached a blustery 70 kms/hr on the 7th.
May is forecast to be a bit cooler than usual for the first couple of weeks but not likely more wet or drier than normal.
