Let’s be real. Summer temperatures in Edmonton have not been high and that’s left a lot of people feeling a bit low.
Summer in much of central Alberta hasn’t met many expectations and the cloudy, grey weather can affect people’s mood.
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“Sometimes bad weather can create social isolation,” said David Grauwiler, executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association Alberta division. “It can stop you from doing the things you enjoy.
“If you’re already living with a mental illness, that can exacerbate things and make things a little worse.”
Grauwiler said it’s important to still get out and enjoy what summer has to offer, even if the weather isn’t what you were hoping for.
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“The summer hasn’t been all bad — just the weather,” Grauwiler said.
“It’s a reality of life. All of us have our ups and downs around having our expectations met or not,” Grauwiler said.
“It’s good to be able to talk about our disappointments and maybe look forward to that warm winter holiday, if that’s possible.”
Wet weather started rolling in around June. In July, there was 100 millimetres more rain than usual, creating darker skies and cooler conditions.
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“We’ve had a broad, low-pressure system over Alberta, which has given us these rainy conditions, a lot of thunderstorm activity in June and July,” Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Kyle Fougere said.
“We haven’t really seen this ridge of high pressure that would settle over the province and give us several days of nice weather.”
There is some hope. It’s expected August and September will be average, which means less rain and potentially more sun.