Environment Canada confirms sizzling summer nationwide

TORONTO – Rejoice, Canada, it’s looking like we’ll have a scorcher of a summer.

That’s according to Environment Canada’s official predications for June, July and August.

On Wednesday, the national weather service confirmed its early May forecast for a warm and dry summer with less-than-average amounts of rain.

Today’s official summer forecast indicates above-average temperatures from coast to coast, a welcome reprieve from cool and damp spring conditions nationwide.

"From British Columbia to Labrador, we are looking at a warmer than normal summer," says Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips.

But there’s no guarantee we’ll see temperatures top last summer’s, the third-warmest summer nationwide in 63 years.

"Last summer was the summer of summers. It was almost like Camelot where it was warm during the day and rained at night…the vegetation loved it," Phillips said.

P.E.I., Nova Scotia and parts of Newfoundland will miss out on some of the glorious weather expected. Parts of the East Coast will remain in the normal to below normal temperature range.

Weather models are also predicting less-than-average amounts of rain for this summer.

British Columbia is expected to see below-normal amounts of precipitation, the western Prairies are expected to be wetter than normal and Central Canada will be straddle the normal range for rainfall.

Environment Canada cautions that this summer forecast-in particular, below-normal precipitation predictions-has little to do with the day by day weather factors that may make conditions ripe for wildfires.

“Generally speaking, when it’s warmer than normal, you have the potential for more forest fires,” Phillips explains, “though a lot will be controlled by daily weather.”

Increased risk of wildfires hinges on a combination of temperature and precipitation levels, coupled with dry, warm air and strong winds.

“If it had been a very dry spring, we would have been a tinderbox,” Phillips says, suggesting our soggy spring conditions may ultimately help prevent or perhaps even suppress the spread of wildfires.

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With files from The Calgary Herald and Postmedia News