Calgary will feel like Vancouver with some serious rain this week
The sunny city of Calgary is going to feel a lot more like Vancouver this week, with some serious rain in the forecast.
If you’re still drenched from last night’s thunderstorm, you’d better prepare your galoshes, because Calgary is looking at a pretty rainy week. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Calgary is under a heavy rainfall warning this Monday, July 14, with more precipitation expected in the range of 50 to 80 millimetres.
Daily Hive chatted with ECCC scientist Christy Climenhaga on what exactly is causing all the rain we are seeing, what to expect for the rest of the week, and how the remainder of July is shaping up.
“So what we have is an upper disturbance,” Climenhaga stated, adding that it’s caused by an upper trough coming in from central B.C., bringing a large area of rain into Southern Alberta.
That would explain Sunday night’s dramatic thunderstorm, which resulted in about 34 millimetres of rain since yesterday.
Looking ahead to the forecast this week, we can expect steady rainfall for the rest of the day, with Calgary getting the bulk of it. The good news is that we should be getting a bit of a break in the next 24 hours
“By tonight, we’ll see that rain moving out of the region for the Calgary area. It looks like it will continue a little bit for Pincher Creek tonight, before it starts to eat up by tomorrow.”
Afterwards, we can look forward to sunshine temperatures in the higher teens on Tuesday and Wednesday, before another unsettled pattern comes in on Thursday.
Environment And Climate Change Canada
So does that mean we’re in for a wet end of July? According to the ECCC, the answer… depends.
“We’ve fallen into a kind of unsettled pattern, where we have a little bit of shower weather every few days,” said Climenhaga. But it seems that as far as the rest of July goes, it looks like we can expect warmer-than-normal conditions for the end of the month.
For those whose gardens are crying after a smattering of hail last night, don’t be surprised by a repeat performance as more thunderstorms are expected this summer.
“End of June through July are kind of our main time period for, you know, big supercell thunderstorms. So there is still, of course, the chance for the next little while.”
As is always the case with sudden, heavy rain, be on the lookout for localized flooding, especially in low-lying areas like underpasses. Washouts of creeks and rivers are also a risk during heavy rainfall events.
Oh, and maybe keep an umbrella handy.