The Weather Network has issued their fall forecast, and it looks like after a scorching hot summer Thompson will experience an autumn that is closer to historical normal temperatures.

Meteorologist Elena Lappo says that Thompson will see normal seasonal temperatures and precipitation throughout the months of September, October, and November. Thompson residents can expect to say goodbye to regular temperatures above zero degrees Celsius by early October; Lappo says however, that fall temperatures can vary greatly.

“We tend to see temperatures fluctuate a lot in the fall,” said Lappo, “the average low in September is around 1.5 degrees Celsius, and in October it’s around 4.5 degrees below zero, but you might still see some really cold days in September or some very warm days in October.”

Thompson did see an above average amount of precipitation in the summer, but Lappo expects that the rain will peter off as the fall and winter begin to settle in.

“It’s been pretty active in the Prairies this summer, the jet stream was further to the north and that’s allowed for all the systems and precipitation in to the northern parts of the prairies and that’s why the north has seen a lot more rain and thunderstorms. For the fall we’re expecting near-normal precipitation.”

Near-normal precipitation for Thompson in the fall is about 80 millimetres of rain and 61 centimetres of snow. On average, there are about 13 days in September that residents may see rainfall, and these days will account for much of the 80 mm, just as November on average will have 13 days of snowfall, accounting for much of the 61 cm.

“October is right about in the middle as far as precipitation, with about six days with rainfall and eight days with snowfall,” said Lappo, “but again the fall can fluctuate a lot and it’s not unheard of to see a few centimetres of snow in September, but at this point we’re not looking at any crazy fluctuations.”