May 2023 Summary

A very dry May with average temperatures 

I know it was really hot at the end of May, but if you look back to the beginning of the month we had a few single digit temperatures.  In between there were some hot and some cold days, this made the overall temperature just slightly (0.1 degrees) above average.

As well, with the lack of precipitation (see below) and consequently lack of clouds, it made the daytime highs just a bit higher (1.6 degrees above average) and the nighttime lows just a bit lower (1.5 degrees below average).  

The last below zero temperature was May 18th, this is 12 days later than the average in the last 25 years of the Soulis Weather Station and the second latest during that time.  

But maybe a bigger story was the lack of precipitation, particularly the 11 days of dry weather to end the month.  About two thirds of the total precipitation of 31.6 mm came down during the first week, not leaving much for the rest of May, which typically has an average of 82.3 mm.

The first four months of the year were very wet, so even after this dry month, the total for the year of 405.6 mm is still well above the average of 340.2 mm.

Thanks to everyone who came out the to the 25th anniversary open house, it was great meeting people who are interested in the station, answering questions, and showing off the weather station equipment.  As you may have also noticed we have also renamed the station after the late professor Eric (Ric) Soulis, who was of course the driving force behind creating the station.  See pictures from the open house and renaming ceremony here:  http://uwweatherstation.blogspot.com/2023/06/25th-anniversary-open-house-and.html

Summary for May 2023:

Maximum Temperature 31.4°C
Minimum Temperature -1.1°C
Average Daily High Temperature 20.1°C (Long term average 18.5°C)
Average Daily Low Temperature 5.0°C (Long term average 6.4°C)
Total Precipitation 31.6 mm (Long term average 82.3 mm)

(Long term averages based on 1981-2010 data for the Waterloo-Wellington Airport)

25th Anniversary Open House and renaming ceremony

February 28, 2023 was the 25th anniversary of the University of Waterloo Weather Station, and on May 18th from 3:30-5:30 pm there was a celebration of this event with an open house at the station along with the official renaming of the station in honour of the late Civil Engineering Professor Ric Soulis. The new name of the weather station will be the 'Eric D. (Ric) Soulis Memorial Weather Station'.  Ric was the driving force behind establishing this station 25 years ago.  

Thanks for everyone who came out!

Here are some pictures from the event:

Technologist Mark Sobon giving a tour of the station equipment.

Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Chair Scott Walbridge addresses the crowd.

Weather Station Coordinator Frank Seglenieks speaks at the event

Carol Moogk-Soulis addresses the crowd

The Soulis family at the open house

CEE professors Scott Walbridge, James Craig,  and Bryan Tolson with Carol Moogk-Soulis

April 2023 Summary

A very warm and very wet April

Even a relatively cool second half of the month couldn’t make up for the extremely hot week that occurred in the middle.  From April 12-16 the temperature reached 26.0°C or more for 5 straight days, this was the first streak that long during April in the history of records in the region.  Also, with a temperature of 28.1°C on April 13, it was the earliest in the year that the temperature has gone above 28°C (previously it was April 22).

The overall temperature was 2 degrees higher than the average, making it the third warmest in the 25 year history of the UW Weather Station.

April had two days with over 25 mm of precipitation, these along with a few other wet days were enough to make up for a dry week during the month.  The total precipitation was 115.6 mm compared to the average of only 74.5 mm.

This month continues the wet pattern we have seen so far this year, the total for the year (374.0 mm) is well above the average at this time of year (264.4 mm).

The total snowfall that came down during the month of 1.0 cm was a lot less than the average of 7.3 cm.  This puts the total for the snowfall season at 119.5 cm, well below the average of 159.7 cm.

Summary for April 2023:

Maximum Temperature 29.0°C
Minimum Temperature -7.5°C
Average Daily High Temperature 14.0°C (Long term average 11.5°C)
Average Daily Low Temperature 2.3°C (Long term average 0.8°C)
Total Precipitation 115.6 mm (Long term average 74.5 mm)

(Long term averages based on 1981-2010 data for the Waterloo-Wellington Airport)

March 2023

A wet March with consistently average temperatures

It was a very average month for temperature that was very consistent, there were only a few days that were even a little bit hot or cool, mostly they were just average.  With that in mind, it isn’t too surprising that the overall temperate was in the average range, just 0.4 degrees above average.

The large amount of precipitation that fell in March was pretty well distributed throughout the month, punctuated by large storms at the beginning and end.  The total precipitation of 105.0 mm was well above the average of 61.0 mm and the second wettest in the last 10 years.

The amount of snowfall we got this March of 21.5 cm was a bit less than the 26.5 cm of snow that we get on average.  The puts the total for the snowfall season at 118.5 cm, well below the average for a typical season of 159.7 cm.

Summary for March 2023:

Maximum Temperature 9.9°C

Minimum Temperature -19.7°C

Average Daily High Temperature 4.0°C (Long term average 3.6°C)

Average Daily Low Temperature -5.2°C (Long term average -5.6°C)

Total Precipitation 105.0 mm (Long term average 61.0 mm)

(Long term averages based on 1981-2010 data for the Waterloo-Wellington Airport)

February 2023

A very warm February with lots of precipitation

First off, a special note that this month marked the 25th anniversary of the UW Weather station.  Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the UW Weather Station over the past 25 years. We are planning an open house to celebrate later in the year, look for an announcement coming soon.

With the cold end to the month, it might be hard to remember just how warm it started out with only 2 colder than average days in the first 21.  As a result, the overall temperature was 3 degrees higher than average, this makes it the sixth warmest February in the history of weather records in the region, which go back to 1914.

As well, looking at the meteorological winter (December-January-February), the average temperature was -2.1°C.  This was the third warmest winter only behind 2001-02 and 1931-32. 

Overall, the month of February saw 85.0 mm of precipitation, well above the average of 54.9 mm, more than any month last year and the most since October 2021.  There was one particularly wet day on the ninth when we had 35.6 cm of precipitation (the fourth wettest single day in February).

With over 2 weeks during the month when we received no snow, the few storms in the last week only got the snowfall total to 22.0 cm, well below the average of 30.3 cm for February.  The total since the Fall is now 97.0 cm, which compares to 125.6 cm for this point in the snowfall season.

It is also that time of year for the annual UW Weather Station Contest where you have to guess when the first time the station’s temperature will go above 20°C.  You can get details about the contest and put in your guess here:

http://weather.uwaterloo.ca/contest_2023/contest_entry_period.asp

Summary for February 2023:

Maximum Temperature 12.3°C

Minimum Temperature -19.7°C

Average Daily High Temperature 2.2°C (Long term average -1.2°C)

Average Daily Low Temperature -7.2°C (Long term average -9.7°C)

Total Precipitation 85.0 mm (Long term average 54.9 mm)

(Long term averages based on 1981-2010 data for the Waterloo-Wellington Airport)