The lack of rain drew many people outdoors during August. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

lack of rain

Second driest summer for La Ronge

Sep 3, 2024 | 4:17 PM

Meteorological summer – June, July and August – came in as the second driest on record, according to data from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The data shows out of those three months, there was only 108.5 millimetres of rain out of a normal 207.6 mm. That represents a 52 per cent departure from normal with those values being from 59 years of record keeping.

In total, there was 53.6 mm of rain in June, 44.2 mm in July and 10.7 mm in August.

“Key Lake also came in quite dry as well,” meteorologist Terri Lang explained.

“They came in with their second driest August, but they have a shorter period of record. There were some storms that went closer to the Northwest Territories border, so places like Uranium City and Stony Rapids came in with a bit more precipitation. It was really that north-central part that came in with really dry conditions and it also explains why there is so many fires still going.”

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In regards to temperature, it was the 14th warmest summer in La Ronge with a seasonal mean temperature of 16.8 C. The normal average temperature for those three months is 16 C.

The upcoming forecast in La Ronge shows rain on Tuesday and Wednesday with a risk of thunderstorms. Thursday and Friday are expected to be sunny with a mix of sun and cloud on Saturday and Sunday. The weekend is forecasted to hit a high of 26 C.

“The September forecasts are in and they are calling for it to be above-average with respect to temperature, but they’re not really showing any pattern for precipitation,” Lang noted.

“We know September and October tend to be drier months as it is, but certainly it looks like it is going to be a warm September, so people should be prepared for likely the forest fire season is going to continue through until at least the next month.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com