While Friday's thunderstorms flooded parts of Chatham-Kent, other sections of the municipality barely got a sprinkling in comparison.
Environment Canada's observation site in Ridgetown measured just 2.4mm (0.09 in.) of rain on Friday, but volunteer sites in Chatham measured as much as 53.3 mm (2 in) of rain. Meteorologist Geoff Coulson says most of it fell between 12:30pm and 2pm.
"The best analogy is almost to think of a pot boiling," says Coulson. "Seeing some parts of that pot boiling with bubbles bursting up on it, while other areas that's not happening."
Coulson attributes the hot and humid conditions making way for the powerful storms. While the weather agency's volunteer sites don't record historical data, Coulson says Friday's events weren't enough to make up for an overall dry July.
"There were 79.4 mm (3 in) for the month, while normal July rainfall is 92.8 mm (3.6 in). But even more important, there was a significant rainfall at our Ridgetown site on July 8, where on that single, day 46.1 mm was recorded."
Coulson adds we're likely to see similar intense rainfall in the month of August.
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