While it looks like warmer days may be ahead, don’t get your hopes up for a stunning reversal of recent soggy, cool weather on Vancouver Island.
Environment Canada said Tuesday it doesn’t expect any significant pattern changes in the weeks to come — meaning the sun will appear in glimpses, but there likely won’t be any prolonged stretches of hot, dry weather.
“It’s not going to dramatically warm or anything,” Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Matt Loney told CHEK News.
So far, June has been much wetter than normal in Greater Victoria, with seven days of rainfall already recorded “where normally we see nine to 10 for the month,” Loney said.
In June, about 31 millimetres of precipitation is normally expected for the region, but it has already seen around 35 mm with half a month to go.
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Some might be surprised, however, to hear that the temperature has actually been near-normal for June, though Loney said it might not feel like it due to the aforementioned rain and long periods of cloudy weather.
It could also be a matter of perspective, he said.
“Based on history, the last five to seven years we’ve had some pretty sensational spring times where it’s been fairly dry and warm and this year is bucking the trend,” he said. “It has certainly been wetter than normal.”
There’s some relief in the short-term, with temperatures expected to warm up over this weekend. Environment Canada is forecasting a high of 22 degrees for Victoria Friday and a possible trend of drier weather next week.
The other benefit of the dour weather has been a benign fire season so far this year. There have only been six wildfires to date in the Coastal Fire Centre, compared to 59 wildfires this time last year.
The Coastal Fire Centre says the number of fires for mid-June is also “well below” the 10-year-average, meaning no campfire or open burning prohibitions are in place yet, something also “quite unusual” for this time of year.
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