More rain fell on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday than Ottawa normally sees in the entire month of August, according to Environment Canada.
About 48 millimeters of rain fell Sunday after it started around noon as multiple storm cells moved through the region, Senior Climatologist David Phillips said by phone Tuesday.
A heat warning was issued on Friday, followed by a rain warning on Sunday morning.
Rain continued on Monday with intermittent misty and cloudy breaks, with another 58 millimeters falling.
After that 112 millimeters of rain, rainfall continued Tuesday morning and was expected to end around noon, Phillips said. Amounts for Tuesday are not yet available.
Here comes the rain! pic.twitter.com/UpzwMYKjBJ
—@KalaSomething
On average, Ottawa receives about 85 millimeters of rain throughout the month of August.
“So … even if we don’t get another drop of rain in Ottawa for the whole of August, it’s still going to be about 30 percent, 31 percent more precipitation than normal.”
Looking back at 133 years of weather records collected in the city, only once has it rained more over two days in August: the 4th and 5th in 1981, when 116 millimeters fell, Phillips said.
Rain and storms over Ottawa at 1:30 p.m pic.twitter.com/YWQNJSymw9
—@ItsLeeWilliams
A generally warm summer, but near-normal rainfall
Although it’s been a warmer-than-usual summer so far, there’s been “very close” to normal precipitation levels, unlike elsewhere in southern Ontario, Phillips said.
“I think farmers are happy, gardeners are happy … it’s almost an ideal situation,” he said.
One of the effects of climate change is storms that dump more and more rain when it rains. Ultimately, warmer air can hold more moisture — about seven to 12 percent more per degree, Phillips said.
He cautioned against attributing any particular weather event to climate change, but said overall statistics confirm that “when nature chooses to rain, we usually get more rainfall.
“And so I think that fits the particular situation that we saw over the weekend,” Phillips said.
well that was fun… are you ready for the next cage? pic.twitter.com/NRI8XcwCDU
—@theivyeater
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