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Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued

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Environment Canada has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for most of northwestern Ontario.

The notice is in place for the Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Ignace, Ear Falls, Red Lake, Kenora and Fort Frances areas.

Strong thunderstorms may move over portions of the area this afternoon.
After these initial thunderstorms, additional strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to develop by late this afternoon near the Manitoba border and then spread eastward across the rest of the region this evening. Strong wind gusts to 110 km/h are the main threat.

Persons in or near this area should be on the lookout for adverse weather conditions and take necessary safety precautions.

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Hot July Across Northwest Ontario

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Hot and dry.

That’s how CKDR Meterologist describes July weather-wise across the region.

Rainfall was below average at 83.7 millimetres with the average usually being around 103.1 millimetres.

The rainiest day was July 9th with 30.5 millimetres of rainfall.

As for the heat, the average temperature in the area was 21.2 degrees which is the third warmest since the turn of the century.

The hottest July since the year 2000 was 2012 at 22.0 degrees and the hottest all time July in our area was in 1921 at 23.5 degrees.

The warmest day was on July 3rd as temperatures reached 34 degrees and there were 4 days where we reached 30 degrees or higher.

The coldest day was July 12th with a low of 10.9 degrees.

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Long Weekend Expected To Improve

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As we start our long weekend, area residents may be wondering what kind of weather we can expect.

CKDR Meterologist Bill Laidlaw says the weather might not seem nice now as some thunderstorms are expected in the region, but it will get better as clouds will start breaking up this afternoon and should be gone around nighttime with a low of 10 degrees.

Laidlaw says once we get to the tail end of the weekend, we can expect the sun to be back with nicer weather.

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Heat Warning Comes With Extreme Fire Threat

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The hot and dry weather has pushed the forest fire hazard to high to extreme across much of the northwest.

There are 14 active fires in the region and five are considered not under control.

Six new starts were listed by mid-afternoon Thursday.

Two sparked near Little Vermilion Lake, about 36 kilometres north of Red Lake.

The total size of the two are 7.5 hectares.

A 2.5 hectare fire is also burning on an island on Lake St. Joseph, roughly 87 kilometres southwest of Pickle Lake.

A Heat Warning is in effect across the northwest and thunderstorms are in the forecast so extreme caution is urged with all outdoor burning.

It will feel like 39 to 41 degrees with the humidity.

Extreme heat affects everyone.

The risks are greater for young children, pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic illnesses and people working or exercising outdoors.

Watch for the effects of heat illness: swelling, rash, cramps, fainting, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and the worsening of some health conditions.

Reduce your heat risk. Schedule outdoor activities during the coolest parts of the day.

Never leave people or pets inside a parked vehicle.

 

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Rain Expected To Help Local Fire Crews

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The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry should get some welcome relief Wednesday.

There is some rain in the forecast.

Thunderstorms are also expected and motorists are asked to be aware of potential road washouts.

The fire hazard is currently high to extreme in the central and northern portions of the region.

Thirteen new fires were confirmed by late Tuesday afternoon.

Lightning sparked a cluster of three fires about 16 to 30 kilometres west of Deer Lake First Nation.

The total size of the three is nearly 80 hectares.

All of the fires are small and pose no threat.

There are 28 active fires in the northwest and 14 are considered not under control.

 

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Hot Humid Weather Not Going Anywhere

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Northwestern Ontario won’t be getting much of a break from the hot weather.

The humid weather is back for a couple of more days with more warnings and alerts expected.

Bill Laidlaw of Signal Weather Services says records were shattered in most communities on Friday.

-Atikokan reached 33.5 – old mark was 32.2 set 1921
-Dryden reached 34.0 – old mark was 30.8 set 2013
-Ear Falls reached 33.7 – old mark was 31.0 set 2013
-Fort Frances reached 33.0 – old mark was 31.0 set 2010
-Kenora reached 32.3 – old mark was 31.5 set 2013 – no ice cream party due to COVID-19
-Red Lake reached 32.7 – old mark was 31.3 set 1933
-Sioux Lookout reached 34.3 – old mark was 30.6 set 1959
-Ignace hit 34.8

Only one new record was recorded on Saturday.

Sioux Lookout’s 31.8 wiped out the 31.2 record reached 32 years ago.

Laidlaw says “Might cool things off a little bit by the end of the week after Wednesday’s thunderstorms but it’s going to be short lived. I think we can expect that by the end of the month July is going to be one of these months that goes into the record books.”

(Photo Credit: Nicole Parsons)

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Record Breaking Heat On Canada Day

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A record breaking Canada Day weather-wise in the region.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says records were broken in Dryden as we reached 31.8 degrees surpassing the record of 29.5 in 1985.

A similar story in Sioux Lookout as it reached 33 degrees, beating the old record of 30.6 in 1966.

Laidlaw also says June was a warm month as the average temperature was 17.1 degrees Celsius, 1 degree above the normal and the 6th warmest since the turn of the Century.

He also says rain was at 100.2 millimetres which is a little bit below the average of 115.2 millimetres.

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UPDATE: Severe Thunderstorm Warning Ended

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Update: Warnings and Watch Ended

Severe thunderstorm watch in effect for: Red Lake

Severe thunderstorm warning in effect for:
Dryden – Vermilion Bay, Sioux Lookout, Ear Falls, Ignace – English River

At 1:37 p.m. CDT, Environment Canada meteorologists are tracking a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing very strong wind gusts, up to nickel size hail and heavy rain.

This line of severe thunderstorms is located from 15 kilometres south of Basket Lake to Minnitaki Lake, moving east at 30 km/h.

Locations impacted include:
Minnitaki Lake, Basket Lake, Abamategwia Lake and Mit Lake.
Take cover immediately, if threatening weather approaches. Large hail can damage property and cause injury. Lightning kills and injures Canadians every year. Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors!

Severe thunderstorm warnings are issued when imminent or occurring thunderstorms are likely to produce or are producing one or more of the following: large hail, damaging winds, torrential rainfall.

The Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management recommends that you take cover immediately if threatening weather approaches.

Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to ONstorm@canada.ca or tweet reports using #ONStorm.

For more information: http://www.emergencymanagementontario.ca/english/beprepared/beprepared.html.

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May Cool And Dry In Dryden Area

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The month of May was a chilly one in northwestern Ontario.

Bill Laidlaw of Signal Weather Services says the average temperature in the Dryden area last month was 10.4, about 0.8 degrees below normal.

“Interestingly half of the May’s since the turn of the century have been colder than this last one.”

The high temperature was 28.2 on the 21st and the coldest was -5.9 on the 11th.

Laidlaw notes we received 27.3-millimetres of rain last month and over half of that fell on one day. (May 26th)

He says the area only had 6 days with measurable rain.

Laidlaw points the normal rainfall for us is 73.4-millimetres.

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More Record Low Temperatures

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It was a record breaking morning Tuesday in four regional communities.

Red Lake hit minus -7.1, eclipsing the old record of -6.3 reached in 1997.

Ear Falls was -6.3, beating the previous low of -6.1 in 1953.

Thunder Bay was -7.9. The old mark was -5.0 set in 1966.

Fort Frances reached -7.8. The old mark was -5.0 set in 1966.

Sioux Lookout was -7.8, tying the original marker that was set in 1953.

No record was set in Dryden.

The temperature got to -5.1 not quite matching the -5.6 set in 1997.

The cold spot in northwestern Ontario yesterday was once again Ignace at -10.3.

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