Timely summer rain eases fire danger in the Maritimes

A pedestrian shields herself from the rain with an umbrella while walking downtown in Halifax on Monday, October 30, 2017. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese)

Welcomed rain and showers moved across the region Sunday into Monday. The wet weather lowering the immediate fire danger. July has still been a very dry month.

Rain Reports

A low pressure system moving through brough varied rain totals to the Maritimes Sunday into Monday.

Parts of western New Brunswick received the most widespread totals between 20 and 30 mm. Many other areas in the Maritimes received about 5 to 15 mm of rain. Scattered showers and small thunderstorms persist Monday afternoon in southeastern New Brunswick, northern/eastern Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Those will contribute additional localized rain amounts and will end throughout Monday evening and night.

The fire danger rating for the Maritime region issued by Natural Resources Canada fell into the low-to-moderate range for most areas on Monday. Sunnier and drier weather is expected to prevail Tuesday and Wednesday and so the fire danger rating and burning restrictions should be monitored this week.

Dry July

The Maritimes could use more rain this month.

Despite the latest round of rain and showers much of the region sits in a significant deficit for July rain. Some of the driest areas include New Brunswick, central and eastern Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Cape Breton has been especially dry. The Sydney area only sitting at about 9 per cent of average July rain before further showers and thunderstorms on Monday.

The next chance of widespread rain and showers for the Maritimes will be Friday, which will be a low pressure system moving out of the Midwestern U.S. towards the Gulf of St. Lawrence.