Most of central and southern Alberta will undergo a period of recovery after a second rain event in less than a week. Persistent rain fell over the foothills and the Calgary area from Monday night to Tuesday afternoon. There were variable rainfall totals depending on location, but according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) at YYC International Airport, 26.3 millimetres of rain was recorded in less than 24 hours. At the ECCC Springbank weather station, 54.1 millimetres fell over the first two days of this week. It is estimated that some communities southwest of Calgary saw rainfall totals between 80 to over 110 millimetres on Monday and Tuesday. This rain proved problematic in many locations since the ground was close to saturation from the storms that rolled through central and southern Alberta on Thursday through Saturday. As a result, water pooling and overland flooding was observed throughout the forecast area. The rain is turning into a familiar story as the start of this summer has been unusually wet. Between July 1 to 22, Calgary has officially recorded 128.3 millimetres of rain, which is approaching close to double the normal amount of rain typical for the entire month of July. According to the Canadian Climate Normals data (1991 to 2020) the summer months are usually the wettest in Calgary with June (112.7 millimetres), July (65.7 millimetres) and August (53.8 millimetres), averaging a combined 232.2 millimetres of precipitation, or nearly half of the annual precipitation (445.4 millimetres). After a drier than normal winter and spring in Calgary, June brought in 94.4 millimetres, but most of that fell after June 20. In other words, in just over a month (June 20 to July 22) Calgary had had 222.7 millimetres of rain, which is half of the average annual precipitation. An incoming ridge of high pressure will continue to track west to east through B.C. on Wednesday, which will help to moderate conditions and introduce a brief period of stability for southern Alberta. The high of Calgary Wednesday will sit around 22 C, with mainly sunny conditions and a light south wind. Thursday will be even warmer with highs in the high 20s and low 30s across southern Alberta. On the weekend, the temperatures should sit closer to seasonal for both the daily maximum and minimum temperatures, but there is a chance of some scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms across the region – including in Calgary.
