December 2024 Summary

An up and down December with average precipitation

The temperature during December was quite the roller coaster ride, with alternating warm and cold periods.  Starting after the first week of the month, it went from 7 degrees above average to 6 degrees below, then back above by 9, below by 10, and ending up 10 above in the last week.

Overall the temperature came out to half a degree above average, which actually makes it the coldest December since 2017, showing how warm this month has been in recent years.  

It was looking to be a much drier than average month, but a little over 20 mm of rain on the 29th put the total at 67.8 mm, just a bit below the average of 72.1 mm.  However, it was also a lot snowier than average as we got 42.5 cm, much more than the typical 13 cm for the month. 

Summary for December 2024:

Maximum Temperature 10.4°C

Minimum Temperature -20.3°C

Average Daily High Temperature 1.2°C (Long term average 0.7°C)

Average Daily Low Temperature -5.4°C (Long term average -5.9°C)

Total Precipitation 67.8 mm (Long term average 72.1 mm)

November 2024 Summary

Another warm month that was the driest November in over 10 years

There were a few very warm days early in the month with one day even over 20°C, while the rest of the month was just a little above average.  This put the overall temperature at 1.8 degrees above average.

Of the past 12 months all have been warmer than average, with the exception of August that was just slightly below average.  These are now the 12 warmest consecutive months in the history of the region where records go back to 1914, surpassing July 2011 to June 2012.  It is now virtually guaranteed that 2024 will go down as the warmest year on record in the region.   

It was yet another dry month with only 44.8 mm of precipitation falling, making it the driest November since 2012.  The total precipitation for the year of 695.4 mm is now even further below the average of 832.9 mm.  

Also, we have start reporting snowfall as we had our first measurable snow on the 28th with the total for the month coming in at 2 cm, well below the average of 11 cm.  

Summary for November 2024:

Maximum Temperature 21.2°C

Minimum Temperature -6.5°C

Average Daily High Temperature 8.9°C (Long term average 7.2°C)

Average Daily Low Temperature 1.1°C (Long term average -0.8°C)

Total Precipitation 44.8 mm (Long term average 71.9 mm)

(Long term averages based on 1998-2023 data from the Soulis Memorial Weather Station at the University of Waterloo)

October 2024 Summary

A warm and very dry October

A lot of interesting things about the temperature this month. The overall picture has the average temperature 1.2 degrees above average, but it has been warmer than that in 4 of the last 10 years.  However, it may have seemed a lot warmer, as the average of the daily high temperatures were over 3 degrees above average, which is the second warmest in the last 10 years.  

On the other end, the daily low temperatures were 0.7 degrees below average.  The reason for this difference were the relatively clear skies which resulted in warm sunny days, but cooler clear nights.

Lastly, a warm streak in the last part of the month was what really drove up the monthly temperature numbers.  The high temperatures on Oct 21 and 22 were 25°C, the only time we have seen a temperature that high that late in October was way back in 1947.

Another consequence of the clear skies was the lack of precipitation, in fact if we didn’t get a storm a few days before the end of the month it would have been the driest October on record.  That last rainfall put the total precipitation at 29.8 mm, well below the average of 81.0 mm and the direst in over 20 years.

The total precipitation for both September and October was 51.4 mm, this was the second driest total for these months in the region where records go back to 1914.  The total this year was just a bit above the record driest of 49.5 mm in 1963.

These dry two months have now put the total for the year of 650.6 mm well below the 750.6 mm average.

Summary for October 2024:

Maximum Temperature 26.0°C
Minimum Temperature -2.8°C
Average Daily High Temperature 17.3°C (Long term average 14.2°C)
Average Daily Low Temperature 3.9°C (Long term average 4.6°C)
Total Precipitation 29.8 mm (Long term average 81.0 mm)

(Long term averages based on 1998-2023 data from the Soulis Memorial Weather Station at the University of Waterloo)

September 2024 Summary

Another hot and dry September

With a streak of temperatures which lasted almost 2 weeks that were over 5 degrees above average, it is not surprising that overall it was one and half degrees above average.  This made it the warmest September since 2018 and with 8 of 9 months above average so far in 2024, we could be looking at the hottest calendar year on record.

That hot streak also coincided with a really dry spell, resulting in only 2.0 mm in the first 22 days of the month.  A couple of storms in the last week boosted the total precipitation to 21.6 mm, making it the sixth driest September in the region since records began back in 1914.  This continues a streak of dry Septembers as each of the last three have been in the top 8 driest.

This dry month means that the total precipitation for this time of year of 620.8 mm has now fallen even further below the average of 683.5 mm.

Summary for September 2024:

Maximum Temperature 29.1°C
Minimum Temperature 5.3°C
Average Daily High Temperature 24.4°C (Long term average 22.0°C)
Average Daily Low Temperature 10.9°C (Long term average 10.3°C)
Total Precipitation 21.6 mm (Long term average 75.6 mm)

(Long term averages based on 1998-2023 data from the Soulis Memorial Weather Station at the University of Waterloo)

August 2024 Summary

A dry month with very average temperature

There were some warmer days and some cooler days during August, but nothing too extreme on either end.  This resulted in an overall temperature that was almost exactly average (just 0.1 degrees below average).  This means that we have now had 12 months in a row without one in the below average range. 

With a lot of media coverage of wet conditions in southern Ontario, it may be surprising that our 52.4 mm was below the average of 66.5 mm.  But the nature of summer precipitation means that it can be raining in one area and dry on the next block.  The total precipitation so far in 2024 is 599.2 mm, this is very close the average of 596.0 mm.  

As we are now past meteorological summer (June-July-August) we can say it was a warm and wet summer.  The temperature was almost one degree above average, which is not exceptionally hot and the 263.8 mm of precipitation was high compared to the average of 214.8 mm again, but we have seen many wetter summers in the past.

Summary for August 2024:
Maximum Temperature 32.4°C
Minimum Temperature 7.3°C
Average Daily High Temperature 25.9°C (Long term average 25.6°C)
Average Daily Low Temperature 13.7°C (Long term average 14.2°C)
Total Precipitation 52.4 mm (Long term average 66.5 mm)

(Long term averages based on 1998-2023 data from the Soulis Memorial Weather Station at the University of Waterloo)