Southwestern Ontario has experienced an unprecedented amount of rainfall from April to July, culminating in what has been described as the wettest July on record for the region, including the London-Stratford area.
David Phillips, Climatologist at Environment Canada says the total rainfall for July reached up to 250 mm, which is almost three times the normal amount of 83 mm.
This is a significant increase from the 180 mm recorded last July.
The heavy rainfall over these months has resulted in widespread flooding and infrastructure challenges.
“It’s almost been the monsoon season in southwestern Ontario and in the London-Stratford area,” noted Phillips.
“We have to go back to the records and say that this has never been a July wetter than what you had this year.”
Phillips said the rainfall from April to July amounted to 550 to 600 mm, compared to the normal total of 330 mm for this period.
“It’s been just so much rain and of course, you talk to farmers and they can tell you that the grass has never been greener. People are cutting it all the time. What’s so fascinating to me is when you look over those four months, that the number of days with rain was not really that much more than normal.
“So what it’s telling you is that when it rained, it was a Texas gully washer. It just rained huge amounts of rain.”
Historically, the wettest July was in 1992 with 205 mm of rain. This year exceeded that by a large margin, making it a record event for over 70 years, Phillips said.
The region faces ongoing challenges with more rain expected, worsening the saturated conditions. As Phillips noted, “It’ll be the year that people remember as the flood year.”
This weather event shows the unpredictable and intense nature of weather patterns and the importance of being prepared for such conditions.
