Climatologist explains Windsor-Essex's high humidity, as heat warning continues
Dave Phillips says Windsor-Essex is almost 'under a dome'
Environment Canada has issued another heat and humidity warning for most of southwestern Ontario — including Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent and the Sarnia-Lambton regions.
Temperatures are expected to reach 30 C to 33 C, with humidex values at 40 to 44.
While the Windsor-Essex region traditionally has hot, humid summers, Dave Phillips, a senior climatologist with Environment Canada, said it is has been a "warm summer, but it not unusually warm."
"It's not the heat, it's the humidity," Phillips said.
According to Phillips, the mark of a "torrid" summer is temperatures that reach above 30 C. So far, this summer has had 24 days that reached above 30 C. Last year, there were 39 days with a temperature above 30 C.
Phillips said it is the humidity that has been noteworthy this year
Sticky, sultry weather
According to Phillips, Tuesday's humidex value was higher in Windsor-Essex than it was in Tampa, Florida.
"You've got the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic — the rate of humidity was higher in Windsor, the dew point was higher. All those measures of how we determine the humidex or the humidity were higher in the Windsor area," he said.
Normally, Windsor-Essex has approximately 30 days with a humidex above 35 C. This summer, the region has had 48 days which adds to the "sticky, sultry" feel, said Phillips.
High humidity levels
Phillips said the humidex has remained high in the region due to a combination of factors including tropical air coming up from the south, local sources such as rain and high pressure.
"We didn't have much rain in May, but boy did [Windsor-Essex] get well-watered in June and particularly in July," Phillips said.
Phillips also compares the amount of pressure in Windsor-Essex to being under a dome.
"It's like putting the Rogers Centre over Windsor-Essex County and the air doesn't circulate," he said.
As for the fall, Phillips predicts humidity to last well into September.
"I think you're going to have wait a little bit before we start getting jacket weather in the Windsor area," he said.
For more, listen in to Dave Phillips on Windsor Morning.