The month of July was hot and dry enough to set new weather records in Winnipeg, according to officials at Environment Canada.

Winnipeg received 11 millimetres of rain in July, breaking the previous record low of 13.5 millimetres, set in 1875, meteorologist Eric Dykes told CBC News Tuesday morning. 

Normal precipitation for the month of July is 70.6 millimetres.

Dykes said the period of June-July was also the driest on record, with a total of 40 millimetres of rain. That broke the previous record, set in 1886, by more than seven millimetres.

Hottest days on record

July wasn't just dry: it was hot. Sixteen of the month's 31 days recorded temperatures above 30 C. Normally, there would be four days that hot.

"The daytime high — the average temperature in Winnipeg in the afternoons of July — was 29.8 C, and that is a new record," said Dave Phillips, a senior climatologist at Environment Canada.

"Never has it been so warm in the afternoons over the month of July than this past month. You have to go back to 1974 to see 28.9 C, almost a full degree cooler than what you've had."

Phillips notes Winnipeggers have experienced a series of record-breaking summers in the past few years.

"Two years ago, the big buzz, of course, was about how cool it was. There was no summer," he said.  "And then last year, you just couldn't dry out! Now it's the dry and the heat. You just can't get any normal kind of weather there."

August is also expected to start off dry. Despite some cloud cover expected Tuesday, there is only a 30 per cent chance of hit-and-miss showers across southern Manitoba. Temperatures, however, are expected a bit lower, in the mid-20s.

The precipitation situation looks more promising later in the week, as a warm front is expected to bring showers to the region on Saturday.

Fall harvest already underway

The heat and aridity of the past two months have forced crops to mature much earlier than usual, so the fall harvest is already well underway in much of the province.

Swathing of barley is complete in some areas, and farmers are also cutting some oats and spring wheat, with some combining even underway, according to the latest provincial crop report.

Yields are expected to come in below normal, with many crops displaying signs of heat and drought stress.

Livestock farmers have noticed the water levels in their dugouts dropping fast, but there is still enough for cattle to drink in most areas.

With dry pastures and disappointing hay cuts, some farmers are cutting cereal crops and baling them for the winter feeding period.