Edmonton weather for July 19: Cooler, hazy and some precipitation

EDMONTON -

Smoke looks like it'll be an issue we'll have to deal with for a long while -- maybe the rest of the summer.

As long as there are wildfires in western Canada, we'll be dealing with SOME level of smokiness.

 

However, not EVERY day will be as "smoked in" as Edmonton and area was this past weekend.

Today, Tuesday and Wednesday look a bit better. Still hazy, for sure. But, not quite AS BAD as the weekend.

So...moving forward, I'm going to start labelling days as either "smoky" or "hazy".

Days with thick smoke and an Air Quality Health Index reading in the High to Very High Risk range will be "SMOKY."

Days with a Moderate Risk on the AQHI will be labelled "HAZY."

 

The problem with smoke forecasting is that it very difficult to do outside of a couple days.

So, it'll only be the "today, tomorrow, next day" forecasts that get those labels.

That doesn't mean the following days won't be smoky or hazy...just that I can't get a reliable forecast for the smoke conditions on those longer-range days.

 

Smoke is affecting every aspect of the forecast.

But, the most noticeable impact is on the temperature.

Without any wildfire smoke, we would've been in the low to mid 20s this past weekend and close to 30 in Edmonton today.

Instead, we got highs of just 16 and 14 degrees AND...we'll probably only get to the mid teens today.

Until we actually get a day in the 20s with this smoke, I find it hard to forecast anything hotter than the 15 to 20 degree range for daytime highs.

 

Precip Outlook:

There's a risk of some showers and/or thunderstorms in central Alberta late this evening and overnight.

The Edmonton region and surrounding areas may see a bit of that activity. There's even a risk of some severe storms in regions from Whitecourt/Edson to Wainwright.

 

Tuesday features some showers and possibly thunderstorms in the Peace Country...areas beween Fort McMurray and Bonnvyille...and the Red Deer region.

Edmonton does have a risk of seeing some evening showers/storms.

Wednesday ALSO features a late-day storm risk for the region.

 

Here's the forecast for Edmonton:

 

Today - Mostly cloudy & smoky.

High: 16

 

Tonight - Mostly cloudy & smoky. 40% chance of showers and/or thunderstorms late in the evening and overnight.

9PM: 15

 

Tuesday - Mostly cloudy & hazy. 30% chance of late-day showers or light rain.

Morning Low: 13

Afternoon High: 17

 

Wednesday - Partly cloudy & hazy. 60% chance of showers and/or thunderstorms in the evening and overnight.

Morning Low: 12

Afternoon High: 19

 

Thursday - Partly cloudy.

Morning Low: 10

Afternoon High: 16

 

Friday - Partly cloudy.

Morning Low: 8

Afternoon High: 18

 

Saturday - Mix of sun & cloud.

Morning Low: 12

Afternoon High: 19​