April in Ottawa wetter than average, warm May on the way

While temperatures in the nation’s capital were near the monthly average, Environment Canada released data showing April was wetter and snowier than usual.

Ottawa saw an estimated 45 per cent more precipitation this past April, with 108 millimetres of rain recorded at the Ottawa International Airport. This is significantly above the average of 74 millimetres.

Data shows that the mean temperature last month was 6.7 C, landing 0.4 C above the normal mean in April.

Based on Environment Canada’s Daily Data Report for April 2024, total precipitation included 94.2 mm of rain and 19.6 cm of snow.

According to weather agency, May in Ottawa is expected to be warmer than average.

“The model is suggesting that we should be getting warmer than average temperatures for all of Ontario and Quebec, and the northern parts of the prairies of northern Alberta, northern Saskatchewan and northern Manitoba,”Peter Kimbell, meteorologist with Environment Canada, told CityNews Ottawa.

Forecasting for the summer months is challenging due to less variability in temperature, he added.

“There’s a ten-degree range, maybe 15 degrees, so the variability is much less (in the summer months) and it’s much more difficult to forecast,” noted Kimbell.