Sometimes we might ask "Do you think it was hot or cold? Or rainy or dry?"
But this month is so obvious that there's no point in playing...
July 2024 was our #1 warmest July on record. That also makes it our warmest calendar month ever recorded.
The average High of 27.9°C beat 2007's old record of 26.6°C by 1.3°C.
And the average Low of 16.2°C beat 2007's 15.2°C by 1°C.
For those keeping score, the past 4 years have had:
- #1 May in 2023
- #1 June in 2021
- #1 July in 2024, #3 July in 2021
- #1 August in 2022
- #2 September in 2022
- #1 October in 2022
- #1 December in 2023
The Heatwaves
The big story of July was the heatwaves, which we covered in detail here:
High Temperatures
July had 7 records for daily Highs, and another 2 which were the warmest in 30 years.
https://edmontonweathernerdery.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-great-heatwaves-of-july-2024.html
Here's a brief summary of the all of the things that happened:
High Temperatures
There were also 5 below-average Highs, but those weren't enough to drag down a very hot month.
July averages:
- 2 30°C Highs, and 2024 had 11, including 2 of 35°C
- 11 25°C Highs, and 2024 had 20
The previous records were July 1975 with 9, and June 1975 & July 2007 with 8.
Hot Days So Far
Prior to July we hadn't had many hot days: by the end of June we hadn't hit 28°C, and had only gotten to 25°C 3 times.
Hot Days So Far
But July pushed 2024 into the top-5, top-2 or top-1 for a lot of metrics.
Low Temperatures
July had 8 records for daily Lows, and another 2 which were the warmest in 30 years.
Low Temperatures
There were also 4 below-average Lows, but this year those kind of felt like a gift (although they were also smoky).
July had 6 Lows reach 20°C, which is a new record, and we usually average less than 1.
It had 17 Lows reach 15°C, when we average around 11.
Records
2024 now has 9 record Highs, after the hot July. The only years with more are 1934 with 10, and 1889 with 14.
Records
It also has 10 record Lows, which ties 2022. The only years with more are (wait for it...) 2021 with 12, and 2023 with 15.
Warm & Cold Months
After a cool~ish May and June, July was record-breaking.
The High of 27.9°C was 4.6°C warmer than the 20th century average.
The Low of 16.2°C was 5.2°C warmer.
The Horserace
So does July make 2024 our hottest year ever?
Well...no.
Warm & Cold Months
The Horserace
After a pretty average March through June, the hot July pushed 2024 up to #30.
July's heatwaves basically cancelled out January's deepfreeze.
Across Canada
May & June were cool across the west, but July brought back the heat.
That was especially true in Kelowna, where the average High of 33.1°C(!!!) was 5.5°C warmer than their 20th century average. Edmonton was #2 at 4.6°C, and Calgary was 3.4°C warmer.
Precipitation
July is usually our rainiest month, averaging 90mm of precipitation.
Across Canada
Precipitation
In 2024 Blatchford was down at 32mm, the airport had 33mm, and Stony Plain had 39mm.
That's a bottom-5 July for all of them.
July averages 15 days with rain.
In 2024 Blatchford had 8, the airport had 9, and Stony Plain had 10.
By the end of July we average 296mm of precipitation.
In 2024 the low July means we're well below average.
Blatchford has 223m and the airport has 218mm. (Stony Plain has 186mm, but it's missing quite a bit of data earlier in the year).
Storms? What storms?
July is usually our big storm month, but in 2024 the biggest were 11.2mm in Blatchford, 14.2 at the airport, and a slightly more respectable 22.5mm at Stony Plain.
And the whole summer has been pretty quiet.
For total precipitation for the year so far Halifax & St. John's are battling at around 880mm.
Dawson City & Kelowna are at the bottom below 150mm.
Calgary's 342mm is well ahead of Edmonton's 223mm.
Toronto's 724mm is their 2nd highest on record for this time of year.
For big July storms:
- Toronto had 97.8mm(!) on the 18th
- Montréal had 79mm on the 10th
August
Most Lows are 10~15°C, but half of the time August will have a night below 5°C.
And August is our 3rd rainiest month averaging 52mm.
