Fifth wettest July on record to end with sunny weather
This month was the fifth wettest July on record, with 139.6 millimeters as of Sunday evening — more than double the average precipitation for July.
'We could move into fourth place or even third place today, depending on if we get into another thunderstorm,' said Crawford Luke, a meteorologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada. 'There was one earlier this morning, and we could expect another one later today.'
The rainiest ever July was in 1927, which saw a total of 245.4 millimeters of precipitation.
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Sunday's weather also broke temperature records, with the airport recording the coldest daytime high for July 27 since 1931. Some areas, including Bow Valley, Canada Olympic Park and Cochrane, were the chilliest on record for that day.
Beginning Tuesday, however, Calgarians will be able to enjoy a few days of sunny weather — though it may come with higher-than-average humidity after the record-breaking rain.
Though more showers are predicted for the upcoming long weekend, current forecasts are showing that the weather should improve in August.
'It looks like, overall, it's going to be average for precipitation over the next few weeks, and temperatures should actually be on the warm side,' Luke said.
River flows elevated, but no flooding expected
River levels are currently higher than normal for this time of year, but are not yet at risk of flooding, according to Frank Frigo, the city's manager of environmental management.
'Though flows are elevated, they're not at the point where any kind of overland flooding is expected, and no flood response is anticipated,' he said.
However, anyone spending time on or around Calgary's rivers in the coming days should be cautious of other risks associated with elevated flows, Frigo said.
'When we have higher flows like this, the temperature of the water is cooler,' he said. 'We have the potential for near-bank erosion, and the turbidity is high — that means you can't really see through the water to notice any potential debris or hazards that might be there.'
Debris in the rivers tends to collect around bridges, so extra caution is advised for those areas.
Frigo said the city has also responded to more than 560 service calls over the past 10 days due to localized flooding throughout the city.
'We are seeing some localized and shorter-term ponding in open spaces and on roadways, streets and green spaces as well,' he said. 'We're trying to address those in a prioritized manner.'
Calgarians are encouraged to call 311 to report any flooding concerns.
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