By Christopher Foulds – Kamloops This Week
The summer of 2017 will go down as the driest ever recorded in Kamloops. Records go back to 1895.
According to Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist, there’s a good reason for the recent drought declaration — a pronounced paucity of precipitation.
According to Environment Canada data, Kamloops received just 8.6 millimetres of rain through June, July and August, a three-month period when the city normally receives 93 millimetres of rain.
June saw 3.4 millimetres of rain fall (the month normally receives 34 millimetres). July also recorded 3.4 millimetres of rain (the month normally receives 30 millimetres). August took in 1.8 millimetres of rain (the month normally receives 29 millimetres).
Lundquist noted Kamloops has two wet seasons (summer and winter) and two dry seasons (spring and fall).
“Unless we get some significant precipitation in the next little while, the problems we are seeing will persist,” he said, referring to wildfires and drought.
While it has been bone-dry, it has also been hot, but while the average high in Kamloops through June, July and August — 21.5 C — was 1.2 C warmer than normal, it was not high enough to break any records and did not approach the top five warmest summers on record in the city.
There were, however, plenty of scorching days.
Kamloops recorded a daily high temperature of 30 C or above on eight days in June, 25 days in July and 17 days in August — 50 days in total. In other words, the mercury hit the 30 C or above mark 54 per cent of the time during those three months.
June’s hottest day was the 25th, when the temperature peaked at 36 C. July’s was the sixth, when the mercury hit 38.5 C, while August’s hottest day was the 29th, with a reading of 38.5 C.