Moose Jaw's summer to feature above-average temperatures: Environment Canada

Wednesday marked the first official day of summer and the longest day of the year, with the Summer Solstice taking place.  

This means that from the days following, each day will begin to become shorter incrementally.  

With the summer season now in full swing, the question remains, what the weather will look like for Moose Jaw moving forward?  

Environment and Climate Change Canada Meteorologist, Terri Lang has that answer.  

“The summer forecast for all of Canada is for above-average temperatures. Of course, that varies with the confidence that it will be above average. We’re pretty confident that in most of Canada and that includes southern Saskatchewan and Moose Jaw that the temperatures will be above average.” 

Lang did want to point out that though the prediction is for above-average temperatures, there still could be times when temperatures dip below normal. 

Moose Jaw’s average high for June, July, and August are 23.9 C, 26.2 C, and 26.1 C respectively.  

Photo courtesy: Environment and Climate Change Canada

According to Environment Canada data dating back to 1888, 2022’s average mean temperature was 18.7. The mean temperature is the average of both the high and low combined.  

Environment Canada has already begun recording data for what they call their meteorological summer.  

“We use June, July, and August. Then we can compare to the previous June, July, and August,” Lang adds.  

The Summer Solstice is referred to as the astronomical summer, which in other terms is when the sun reaches its highest point.

Photo courtesy: Environment and Climate Change Canada

 Lang says they don’t use astronomical summer because of the varying date of the Summer Solstice.  

When it comes to the precipitation amounts for Moose Jaw, Lang says it is hard to predict.  

“There is no pattern that has made itself evident for southern Saskatchewan including the Moose Jaw area. It’s an equal probability that it will be above-average precipitation or below-average precipitation. There is no way to identify anything that would help us with that.” 

The average precipitation for Moose Jaw according to Environment Canada data for June, July, and August is 58,8 millimetres, 63.0 mm, and 39.1 mm respectively. 

Photo courtesy: Environment and Climate Change Canada

So far through 22 days of June, Moose Jaw has seen 29.6 mm of precipitation.  

Last summer, Moose Jaw saw 119.9 mm of precipitation over that three-month span.  

Photo courtesy: Environment and Climate Change Canada

The most moisture that Moose Jaw ever saw in the summer was back in 1999 when 503.4 mm was recorded.  

With summer in full swing, the risk of severe weather systems such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hail continues to be a factor.  

Lang reminds residents to continually check Environment Canada's forecast on weather conditions