Heat building in the Maritimes

A fine day at Aboiteau Beach, Cap-Pele, NB, 27 July 2019 (Dearing)

A heat warning has been in place since the start of the weekend in much of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia (except for Cape Breton) and Prince Edward Island.

In Greater Moncton, the temperature climbed to 30 C on Saturday and 29 C today but the forecast calls for 30 C on Monday and 31 C for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Overnight lows are not expected to drop that much either hovering around 18 to 19 C.

While humidity has been relatively low this weekend at around 50 percent or less, Environment Canada says the warm air mass will become more humid this week.

The only relief will be along the Fundy coast where temperatures will stay in the low 20s.

Brief heat wave ends

Aboiteau Beach, Cap-Pele, NB, 04 July 2019 (Dearing)

In less than two hours, the temperature in Greater Moncton dropped from 31.1°C to 24.0°C late this afternoon – a difference of seven degrees.

A cold front moved through New Brunswick with thunderstorms marking an abrupt end to the summer’s first brief heat wave.

Environment Canada even issued a tornado warning for the Grand Lake area after a possible twister developed south of Boiestown.

The warning was lifted after 30 minutes and no damage or injuries were reported.

Record highs have been broken in a number of communities across the Maritimes.

Friday, 05 July:

• Kouchibouguac NP, new record 31.1°C, old record 33.9°C from 1939

• Grand Manan, new record 31.7°C, old record 30.0°C from 1999
• Halifax Stanfield Airport, 32.7°C, old record 31.4°C from 2013

Greater Moncton was within a hair of breaking a record Saturday and Sunday it was the warmest on that date since 2013.

• 05 July, high 34.0°C, record 34.2°C from 2018

• 06 July, high 31.4°C, record 35.0°C from 1911

(Data courtesy Environment Canada)

Warm Thanksgiving weekend

Aboiteau Beach, Cap-Pele, NB, 08 Oct 2017 (Dearing)

The jet stream brought warm southerly air into the Maritimes allowing temperatures in Southeast New Brunswick to climb into the 20s this Thanksgiving weekend.

Environment Canada says Greater Moncton reached a daytime high of 20.2 C on 07 October, 23.7 C on 08 October (near the record of 23.9 C from 1970), and 22.9 C on 09 October.

Given the autumn warmth, I couldn’t resist a visit to Aboiteau Beach (and neither could a handful of others) which was near 24 C under a mostly cloudy sky and it was quite windy.

Greenwood, Nova Scotia was the hot spot in Canada hitting 26 C for two days in a row.

Last weekend of summer

Aboiteau Beach, Cap-Pele, NB, 17 Sept 2016 (Dearing)

I had to make at least one more trip to Aboiteau Beach in Cap-Pele yesterday before the official end of astronomical summer.

It turned out to be a beautiful day with just a few clouds, an afternoon high near 24 C and the water of the Northumberland Strait was still warm.

The beach was quiet with only a handful of sunbathers and many who arrived chose to go for a stroll along the water’s edge.

Much needed rain fell today but it was still warm and humid with a high near 20 C.

June 2016 – Consistent warmth finally!

Aboiteau Beach, Cap-Pele, NB, 19 June 2016 (Dearing)

Spring turned out to be a rollercoaster ride in Southeast New Brunswick throughout the three month period with seemingly more clouds and rain than sun.

The trend continued almost until the first day of summer in Greater Moncton with consistent sun and warmth not until around the middle of the month.

June was actually about normal in temperature with slightly below normal precipitation – more than one third of the rainfall total fell in the last two days of the month.

JUNE 2016 ALMANAC (at the Greater Moncton International Airport, 1981-2010)

Average HIGH 21.1 C

Average LOW 9.4 C

AVERAGE 15.2 C (NORMAL)

Extreme HIGH 29.8 C (27 June)

Extreme LOW 0.7 C (01 June)

RAINFALL 82.6 mm (more than 10 percent BELOW Normal)

(Data courtesy ENVIRONMENT CANADA)

First beach day of the season!

Aboiteau Beach, Cap-Pele, NB, 21 May 2016 (Dearing)

A warm, beautiful day in Greater Moncton was a great excuse to head to the beach.

Aboiteau Beach in Cap-Pele became my destination with a decent crowd for the Victoria Day weekend although the water was a bit chilly for swimming.

The temperature in Greater Moncton climbed to almost 28 C and likely a few degrees cooler along the coast but still the warmest day this spring and in 2016!

Cool end to June in N.B.

Aboiteau Beach, Cap-Pele, NB, 27 June 2015 (Dearing)

June is ending the same way it began in New Brunswick – on a cool note.

While it was sunny and warm (near average at about 22 C) yesterday and a great day to enjoy Aboiteau Beach in Cap-Pele, today was mostly cloudy and cool (high teens C) in Greater Moncton with rain by evening.

Meantime, a heat wave in Western Canada has brought highs well into the 30’s peaking at 41 C in Warfield, BC, 38 C in Medicine Hat, AB and 36 C in Maple Creek, SK.

Summer-like heat across New Brunswick

Sunny, warm fall day at Aboiteau Beach, Cap-Pele, NB, 28 Sept 2014 (Dearing)

The first weekend of autumn felt more like summer across New Brunswick with record breaking heat in many communities.

Greater Moncton reached 28.0 C today which broke the previous record high of 25.0 C set in 1959.

Fredericton also broke a record from the same year with a high of 28.8 C.

Environment Canada says other records were broken at Bathurst reaching 28.7 C and Kouchibouguac at 28.8 C.

Miramichi and St.Stephen were the hot spots in Canada at 29.2 C.

I like many others headed to Aboiteau Beach today where even the water was warm.

But change is on the way with a cold front and showers for Monday lowering temperatures to normal and even slightly below normal before recovering on Tuesday.

Here’s the heat!

Aboiteau Beach, Cap-Pele, NB, 28 June 2014 (Dearing)

Ask and you shall receive!

After just wondering where the heat was this month, warm weather finally arrived today after two days of heavy rain.

Many locations in New Brunswick soared above 30 C for the first time since last summer.

The hot spot was St. Stephen at 31.4 C.

Greater Moncton hit 29 C but Environment Canada is forecasting temperatures above 30 C for the next couple days.

Where’s the heat?

Aboiteau Beach, Cap-Pele, NB, 23 June 2014 (Dearing)

After a weekend of unsettled weather, the last couple days have been sunny and warm in Southeast New Brunswick.

But some are asking, where’s the heat?

Recent temperatures have been pleasant with daytime highs in the mid to upper 20s Celsius.

But as June quickly draws to a close and with almost half the year gone, the thermometer has yet to reach 30 C in Greater Moncton.

Environment Canada is suggesting that could change with a high of 29 C expected by this weekend.