Submitted by Bill Caulfeild-Browne
Although the warmest day only reached 29C (we usually have one or two days that exceed 30C) the month was 1.8C above the long-term norm. This was due to the night-time temperatures being distinctly warmer than normal. There were several nights in the middle of the month when the mercury stayed over 20C – the low on the 14th was 22.4C. Thus the coolest night on the 20th, at just 12.1C, came as a bit of a shock.
I attribute the extra warmth to the lake water which was more like late August than mid-July. Many swimmers reported it was warmer than usual, likely due to the copious sunshine we experienced – just two fully cloudy days in the month. This was despite the awful smoke conditions that prevailed mid-month. Pictures of Big Tub Light taken on the 14th look like old fashioned sepia photos.
Precipitation at 61mm was about 10% less than normal. There were only four days with measurable rainfall, but more than half (35mm) fell on the 9th. The latter half of the month was very dry, thankfully relieved by 7mm of moisture on the very last day.
Our weather here was typical of most of Ontario – warmer and drier than usual. Exceptions were in the northeast where the mercury was over 3C above normal. We also escaped the extreme rainfall and flooding that afflicted both Ottawa and the Niagara peninsula. Vineland set a July record with 219 mm. That’s about what we’d get in three months.
And now a cause for celebration! Climatologists generally reckon that thirty years are required to provide a valid standard baseline against which changes can be recorded. My weather station was established in August 1996 and has been collecting data every hour, every day, for a total of over a quarter million records.
In due course I will perform an in-depth comparison of Tobermory’s present climate with that of the last century.
Editor’s Note: August 2026 marks 15 years Bill Caulfeild-Browne has been submitting a “Climate Comment” column for the Bruce Peninsula Press. Bill has earned the distinction of being this newspaper’s longest-standing independent community columnist. Congratulations on this milestone Bill. We appreciate all you contribute to our paper and this community.
