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AUGUST 2009 TORONTO WEATHER BLOG
AUGUST 20, 2009 TORNADO WARNING ISSUED
At 6:54 pm Environment Canada issued a Tornado Warning for the city of Toronto. Although no funnel cloud or tornado has been spotted in city proper (as of 10:02 pm), numerous funnel clouds or tornadoes have been reported in surrounding areas including the town of Durham, Carigleith near Collingwood and near the Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre.
The following is the story of how the storm affected the Toronto East York area. The combination of warm, humid air colliding with the passage of the cold front created the perfect chemistry for explosive thunderstorms. The radar image below shows the wide view of the cold front as it approaches Toronto.
The front approached the west end of the city at around 7:00 pm as shown in the storm track below.
The leading edge of the cold front was in the Toronto East York area at around 7:05 pm as shown in the images below:
The picture below was taken around 7:05 pm as the storm reaches the Leslie Ave and Eglinton Avenue East area (Sunnybrook Park).
Moments later, sheets of horizontal rain and strong winds inundated the Sunnybrook Park area. Strong winds gusting to 49.9 km/h was recorded at the Toronto East York weather station (CWOP DW0132). Amazingly, the temperature dropped 1.1 deg C between 7:09 pm and 7:10 pm from 25.6 to 24.5 deg. C. Furthermore, the barometric pressure rose by 2.0 mb from 1003.1 mb to 1005.1 mb in just one minute (from 7:07 pm to 7:08 pm), typical feature of an approaching storm.
Furthermore, the highest rainfall rate recorded was 720.0 mm/hr between 7:10 pm and 7:11 pm. In fact, 5.6 mm of rain accumulated in just 60 seconds (at 7:09 pm).
In about 40 minutes, the Toronto East York area ( Sunnybrook Park area ), received 36.4 mm of rain! The radar image below illustrates the severity of the storm at its peak.
Based on the radar estimates, the cell that hit Toronto East York had an echotop of 40,000 feet, vertical integrated liquid of 46 kg/m2 and it was moving from the WSW at 35 knots.
The storm continued to move east and the Tornado Warning was cancelled around 9:00 pm. As Environment Canada reviews the weather reports, we'll get a better picture of how severe tonight's weather has been. More updates regarding the storm will be posted in this blog in the next few days.
For more weather information about the Toronto East York weather station (CWOP DW0132), visit the current conditions and historical weather pages.
Feel free to send an e-mail for comments about this blog or site improvements: weatherlink@TorontoForecast.com
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AUGUST 2, 2009 JULY WEATHER REVIEW
Most will agree that July 2009 did not feel like a typical Toronto summer. The average monthly mean temperature at Toronto Pearson International Airport (CYYZ) was only 19.2 degrees and that is 1.6 degrees below the climatological mean. By comparing the previous monthly July mean temperatures this decade, we can fully appreciate the significance of this year's summer chill.
For the past two months, the jet stream has been positioned farther south than its typical summer pattern. Complicated by a relatively slow moving or rather stagnant low pressure at northern Ontario, the southern Great Lakes experienced one of its coolest July in recorded history. Here is the weather summary for various weather stations across city and it is easy to recognize that July 2009 was certainly unseasonably cool and wetter than usual.
In fact, July 2009 is the sixth coolest July ever recorded at Toronto Pearson International Airport . However, it didn't come close to July 1965 where it felt more like spring with 12 days with minimum temperatures below 10 degrees including two nights dipping to 5.6 degrees C!
Although July 2009 is only one of the five occasions where the temperature did not exceed 30 degrees during the month.
From another perspective, June 2009 felt hotter and muggier than July 2009. As an example, the highest temperature at Toronto East York (MADIS-CWOP DW0132) in June 2009 was 33.8 degrees Celsius but it only reached 29.8 degrees in July 11th 2009. Furthermore, the highest THSW Index (combination of temperature, relative humidity, sun and wind) in July only topped at 36.9 compared to 40.6 in June 24th.
For more detailed weather summary for July 2009, visit the historical page. It also includes the highest UV index, evapotranspiration, solar radiation and pressure readings.
In terms of precipitation, it was relatively dry during the first three weeks but the city was inundated with heavy bouts of thunderstorms during the last week of the month. Although the heaviest precipitation was confined to the east and south side of the city. For example, Toronto East York received 130.0 mm of rain while Toronto downtown got 119.5 mm (refer to table above). A rainfall rate of 144.0 mm/hr was recorded at Toronto East York (MADIS CWOP DW0132) during a heavy downburst on July 25th.
Other notable readings from this month includes (obtained from data at Toronto East York MADIS-CWOP DW0132):
Hottest day: 24.0 deg. C (ave mean temp) on the 28th
Coolest day: 17.9 deg. C (ave mean temp) on the 17th
Highest solar radiation: 1201 W/m2 on the 12th
Highest UV index: 9.5 on the 4th
Total evapotranspiration: 83.2 mm
Total monthly sunshine: 232.8 hours
Highest sea-level pressure: 1023.0 mb on the 10th
Lowest sea-level pressure: 1000.9 mb on the 1st
For more weather details, visit the historical page.
Comments - feel free to write to weatherlink@TorontoForecast.com
At 6:54 pm Environment Canada issued a Tornado Warning for the city of Toronto. Although no funnel cloud or tornado has been spotted in city proper (as of 10:02 pm), numerous funnel clouds or tornadoes have been reported in surrounding areas including the town of Durham, Carigleith near Collingwood and near the Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre.
The following is the story of how the storm affected the Toronto East York area. The combination of warm, humid air colliding with the passage of the cold front created the perfect chemistry for explosive thunderstorms. The radar image below shows the wide view of the cold front as it approaches Toronto.
The front approached the west end of the city at around 7:00 pm as shown in the storm track below.
The leading edge of the cold front was in the Toronto East York area at around 7:05 pm as shown in the images below:
The picture below was taken around 7:05 pm as the storm reaches the Leslie Ave and Eglinton Avenue East area (Sunnybrook Park).
Moments later, sheets of horizontal rain and strong winds inundated the Sunnybrook Park area. Strong winds gusting to 49.9 km/h was recorded at the Toronto East York weather station (CWOP DW0132). Amazingly, the temperature dropped 1.1 deg C between 7:09 pm and 7:10 pm from 25.6 to 24.5 deg. C. Furthermore, the barometric pressure rose by 2.0 mb from 1003.1 mb to 1005.1 mb in just one minute (from 7:07 pm to 7:08 pm), typical feature of an approaching storm.
Furthermore, the highest rainfall rate recorded was 720.0 mm/hr between 7:10 pm and 7:11 pm. In fact, 5.6 mm of rain accumulated in just 60 seconds (at 7:09 pm).
In about 40 minutes, the Toronto East York area ( Sunnybrook Park area ), received 36.4 mm of rain! The radar image below illustrates the severity of the storm at its peak.
Based on the radar estimates, the cell that hit Toronto East York had an echotop of 40,000 feet, vertical integrated liquid of 46 kg/m2 and it was moving from the WSW at 35 knots.
The storm continued to move east and the Tornado Warning was cancelled around 9:00 pm. As Environment Canada reviews the weather reports, we'll get a better picture of how severe tonight's weather has been. More updates regarding the storm will be posted in this blog in the next few days.
For more weather information about the Toronto East York weather station (CWOP DW0132), visit the current conditions and historical weather pages.
Feel free to send an e-mail for comments about this blog or site improvements: weatherlink@TorontoForecast.com
______________________________________________________________________________________
AUGUST 2, 2009 JULY WEATHER REVIEW
Most will agree that July 2009 did not feel like a typical Toronto summer. The average monthly mean temperature at Toronto Pearson International Airport (CYYZ) was only 19.2 degrees and that is 1.6 degrees below the climatological mean. By comparing the previous monthly July mean temperatures this decade, we can fully appreciate the significance of this year's summer chill.
For the past two months, the jet stream has been positioned farther south than its typical summer pattern. Complicated by a relatively slow moving or rather stagnant low pressure at northern Ontario, the southern Great Lakes experienced one of its coolest July in recorded history. Here is the weather summary for various weather stations across city and it is easy to recognize that July 2009 was certainly unseasonably cool and wetter than usual.
In fact, July 2009 is the sixth coolest July ever recorded at Toronto Pearson International Airport . However, it didn't come close to July 1965 where it felt more like spring with 12 days with minimum temperatures below 10 degrees including two nights dipping to 5.6 degrees C!
Although July 2009 is only one of the five occasions where the temperature did not exceed 30 degrees during the month.
From another perspective, June 2009 felt hotter and muggier than July 2009. As an example, the highest temperature at Toronto East York (MADIS-CWOP DW0132) in June 2009 was 33.8 degrees Celsius but it only reached 29.8 degrees in July 11th 2009. Furthermore, the highest THSW Index (combination of temperature, relative humidity, sun and wind) in July only topped at 36.9 compared to 40.6 in June 24th.
For more detailed weather summary for July 2009, visit the historical page. It also includes the highest UV index, evapotranspiration, solar radiation and pressure readings.
In terms of precipitation, it was relatively dry during the first three weeks but the city was inundated with heavy bouts of thunderstorms during the last week of the month. Although the heaviest precipitation was confined to the east and south side of the city. For example, Toronto East York received 130.0 mm of rain while Toronto downtown got 119.5 mm (refer to table above). A rainfall rate of 144.0 mm/hr was recorded at Toronto East York (MADIS CWOP DW0132) during a heavy downburst on July 25th.
Other notable readings from this month includes (obtained from data at Toronto East York MADIS-CWOP DW0132):
Hottest day: 24.0 deg. C (ave mean temp) on the 28th
Coolest day: 17.9 deg. C (ave mean temp) on the 17th
Highest solar radiation: 1201 W/m2 on the 12th
Highest UV index: 9.5 on the 4th
Total evapotranspiration: 83.2 mm
Total monthly sunshine: 232.8 hours
Highest sea-level pressure: 1023.0 mb on the 10th
Lowest sea-level pressure: 1000.9 mb on the 1st
For more weather details, visit the historical page.
Comments - feel free to write to weatherlink@TorontoForecast.com