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From lakes to golf courses to classrooms where students are winding down for the year, the signs of summer are everywhere.
Thursday marks the summer solstice, the longest day of the year with 16 hours and 13 minutes of daylight. That’s eight hours and 26 minutes longer than the winter solstice on December 21.
With temperatures already hitting 30 C in several communities across the province through May and June, summer seems to have arrived well in advance of the calendar date.
Dave Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada joined the CJME Morning Show to break down what is in store for the summer forecast. He suggested May and June provided a good preview of what Saskatchewan people can expect for the rest of the summer.
“All of the models – and this model we’ve been looking at since May 1st and it hasn’t changed its stripes at all – it’s saying in Saskatchewan it’s going to be a warmer than normal summer,” Phillips said.
“July, August and September are going to be warmer than normal, not every day, but we think (that’s) the flavour of that particular season.”
Rain through the end of May and first few weeks of June has improved soil conditions in the southeast and central regions of the province, but the southwest remains fairly dry.
“I think there’s 90 millimetres of rain that I’ve counted, where typically you’d have about 63, so some of that deficit has been removed,” Phillips said.
He noted there is cause for concern with the lack of precipitation in the long-term forecast for the summer. Weather models predict a dry summer which could be bad news for the agricultural economy.
“With precipitation, we’re not always right and we do change our minds,” Phillips commented.
He hopes to see the forecast shift towards a balance of hot sunny weather with enough precipitation to keep crops and grass green and growing.