Dry and Cool-ish July

     This past July was good news for anyone seeing flooding. Overall, drier than usual conditions helped to dry things out. In Winnipeg, just 25.4 mm fell at the airport, putting July at 14th driest since 1873. This marks the 4th top 15 driest July since 2006, continuing the trend of drier Julys in the last 8 years. The lack of significant thunderstorm activity is a factor. The greatest daily rainfall was just 8.1 mm on July 13, most of which was not associated with thunderstorm activity. The lack of nocturnal activity, of which Winnipeg is notorious for, was also notable. Only 1 thunderstorm event occurred after sunset, on July 13, but even that event was not significant. Only occasional lightning strikes occurred.

July continues cold streak

 

     At 1.0°C below the 1984-2013 average July mean of 19.5°C, July went down as the 10th consecutive month colder than the previous 30-year average. This streak began last October and has now become historical. It is not only the 4th longest streak of its kind since 1872, but also the longest cold streak since the 1880's.

Rank	# of consecutive below normal months	When?
1	18 months	Dec 1882-May 1884
2	14 months	Jul 1884-Aug 1885
3	11 months	Oct 1887-Aug 1888
4	10 months	Oct 2013-Jul 2014
5	9 months	1949/50, 2008/09 & 2012/13

     Two days were particularly cold: July 1 and 13. Canada Day featured a mean temperature of just 13.1°C, the 8th coldest July 1st since 1873. On July 13, the high was just a measly 15.7°C thanks to afternoon and evening rains. This broke the old record low maximum of 16.7°C in 1884 and 1950.

Funnel clouds & tornadoes

 

Funnel cloud near Oak Bluff July 5

     Although the month was pretty dull overall storm-wise, there were a few thunderstorm events that brought some close calls to the Winnipeg area. On July 5, thunderstorms developed west of the city and moved east into and just south of the city in the afternoon. A few funnel clouds were reported with these storms. One of these occurred near Oak Bluff just minutes before the storm hit Winnipeg. The funnel reached at least half way to the ground before dissipating. Tornado warnings were issued for Winnipeg and the surrounding area, but luckily nothing touched down. This was also the hottest day of the month with a high of 31.9°C at Winnipeg airport with a maximum humidex of 40.5. Severe thunderstorms had also occurred in southwestern Manitoba in the evening. Hail up to baseball sized occurred. A tornado might have also occurred near Hartney. Wind gusts to 131 km/h were also recorded in Pilot Mound.

     Cold core funnel clouds and weak tornadoes were the story of July 26. One of these occurred just south of the Perimeter near La Salle. It was confirmed as a tornado by Environment Canada. 2 other tornadoes were also confirmed near Waterhen in the Interlake. Other funnel clouds also occurred, such as west of Portage.

Storm east of Brandon July 26

Brandon flooding July 27