Many people wondering when to book vacations would probably like a straight answer about pending summer weather, but they’re not going to get it.
The Weather Network released its summer forecast this week but made no promises. They used the word “changeable” a lot.
Two anglers fish along the Detroit River near downtown Windsor on a rainy May 25, 2017.
“I always find with putting out the summer forecast, there’s a lot of pressure to it because it’s everyone’s vacation on the line,” said meteorologist Kelly Sonnenburg. “So I feel like there’s always more pressure when we give the summer forecast. People are like, ‘when do I book my vacation?’”
She said the temperature this year should stay around the average of 26C to 28C for June, July and August in the Windsor area.
“With the potential to kind of alternate between extended periods of above seasonal weather and below,” said Sonnenburg. “So that’s kind of where that word changeable comes in.”
She realizes most people would prefer something more definitive.
“People always want a straight answer to what the season is going to be,” said Sonnenburg. “Sometimes we do have a straight answer.”
This is not one of those times. Sonnenburg said meteorologists trying to forecast a season usually look to past years that had “similar atmospheric patterns.”
“To be honest, we don’t really have an analogue year that matches our pattern that we’re dealing with this summer,” she said.
But she expects the weather won’t be as consistently hot and dry as last summer. The Weather Network is also expecting near normal amounts of precipitation, between 75mm and 85mm each month. But that’s also not set in stone.
“Precipitation in the summer is the most difficult to forecast because of thunderstorms,” said Sonnenburg. “You could see one pop up in Windsor and drop 50 to 75 mm of rain quickly, and just nearby, Tecumseh has nothing.”
The weather in the Windsor region was fine May 25, 2017, if you were a duck like this one shown flying near the Ambassador Bridge. Rain fell most of the day.
A foursome of kayakers are shown near the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor on a wet and grey May 25, 2017.
Anglers fish along the Detroit River near the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor May 25, 2017.
