Daily maximum temperature records were set on three different days in July at the West Kootenay Regional Airport weather station, but they didn’t break the all-time high temperature for the month of July that was set last year. That record was set on July 1, 2021 — the same day the Merry Creek fire broke out — when temperatures reached 41.8 C.
This year, the records were set or tied on July 27 (38.4 degrees), 28 (39.5 degrees), and 29 (39.0 degrees).
Castlegar temperatures hit above 30 C for all but one of the final 21 days of the month including a streak of eight days above 35 C from July 24 - 31.
With the exception of a minor amount of rain on July 18 (less than 0.2mm), the entire month’s rainfall fell during the first ten days. The month’s total rain (23.8mm) was about 50 per cent of normal.
Southeast Fire Centre weather forecaster Jesse Ellis says the heat of the latter part of the month had a greater impact on the mean monthly temperature than the cooler weather at the start of the month. The mean monthly temperature was 2.2 degrees above average.
READ MORE: Wildfire burning near Kaslo grows to 1,500 hectares
newsroom@castlegarnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter