Late summer heat caps volatile, but average, season

Just when it looked like summer was over, temperatures soared the week after Labour Day providing Islanders with a late summer weather treat.

As measured at Charlottetown Airport by Environment Canada, the week before Labour Day the average maximum temperature barely climbed above 20 C, but then the sun turned on the heat again.

The day after Labour Day was one of the warmest of the summer and the temperatures stayed above 25 C most of the rest of the week.

Summer marked by highs and lows

The temperature shifts of the last two weeks, with daily highs ranging from 16.9 C to 27.2 C, have been typical of a summer that has seen a lot of highs and lows, and where the overall results have been dead average.

Consider the stretch from July 6-11, when the daily highs averaged just 16.4 C, but that was followed by three straight weeks of average temperatures above 25 C.

Or the first two weeks of June, when the average temperature was three degrees below normal, and then the last week of June, which turned out to be the hottest week of the summer, with an average of 25.7 C.

And the overall result?

• June: 0.3 C over average at 19.3 C
• July: 0.5 C over average at 23.5 C
• August: Exactly average at 23 C

The hottest day of the summer was July 28, when the temperature reach 28.1 C. The coolest was July 10, which peaked at 15.3 C.

A little on the dry side

Rainfall has also been volatile. The season started very dry, but started catching up with a wetter than usual August.

CBC P.E.I. weather specialist Boomer Gallant said the rain came when the Island needed it.

"Most of the rain was by quick-hit thundershowers. One day, Aug. 17, was a soaker that benefited all of P.E.I.," said Gallant.

More than half August's rain fell on Aug. 17-18.

June had only about two thirds of the regular rainfall, and July was a little below average, but August was about 20 per cent above normal. The overall result for the three months is just six per cent less than usual.

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