Sunny week after wet weekend

After more than a month of relentless rain and grey skies, Toronto may soon plunge into summerlike weather.

But first we’ll have to endure another soggy weekend.

“Unfortunately, we’re going to see some cool, wet weather,” said Dave Phillips, senior climatologist at Environment Canada.

“It’s like a broken-record. It’s more of the same.”

Since the start of May, the city has seen 135.8 mm of rain, more than double the average of 60 mm for this time of the year, Phillips said.

He also calculated the total hours of sunshine in Toronto since April 1 and found that we have been short 150 hours.

“That is the definition of misery,” he said. But Phillips says we should focus on the weather next week when we’ll see “wall-to-wall sun.”

Monday will bring 30 degree temperatures, dipping slightly to 26 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 22 degrees Thursday.

The warmer temperatures will also bring humidity as the atmosphere sucks up the moisture from all the rain.

“But I don’t think there’ll be a person around who will dare complain about it,” Phillips said.

There is, however, one caveat: the weather always changes.

There is no guarantee it won’t rain next week but Phillips said he is confident Toronto will finally be rewarded with some sunshine.

June 21 is the official start of summer and when Environment Canada issues its forecast for the season, which they predict will be warmer and drier than average.

“People are willing to accept this wet spring but if this is the theme for the summer, there will be a lot of very unhappy people and I might have to watch over my shoulder a little bit more than I do.”

Amanda Kwan, Staff Reporter