Vancouver Island can expect temperatures and rainfall to return to normal levels this summer, the Weather Network predicts.
While the rest of Canada is set for a hot and dry summer, the southern B.C. coast should get a reprieve from the past two years, which saw extreme conditions between May and September, resulting in wildfires and drought.
“We’ll see above-normal conditions across most of the country, with only a couple of exceptions, on the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island,” said meteorologist Michael Carter.
On average, daily high temperatures in Greater Victoria should peak near 20.0 C in June, 22.4 C in July and 22.4 C in August, he said. Carter projected precipitation of about 30.6 mm in June, 17.9 mm in July and 23.8 mm in August.
“It is the dry season, so we’re not expecting exceptional or excessive precipitation, but it will certainly feel like relief compared to the past two years of significant dryness,” Carter said.
The forecast values represent the climate “normals” for the weather station at Victoria International Airport. Data show last summer was both hotter and drier.
For Nanaimo, Carter forecast average daily maximum temperatures to be 20.8 C in June, 23.9 C in July and 24.3 C in August. Rainfall should be about 43.4 mm in June, 25.4 mm in July and 28.4 mm in August.
The predictions are based on several factors, including numerical models, climate histories and global weather patterns. This summer is part of a transition period between El Niño, which brought a “storm parade” to B.C. this past winter, and La Niña, Carter said.
The Weather Network’s projections for Greater Victoria are based on the weather station at the Victoria International Airport, but local conditions will vary depending on factors such as wind direction and proximity to the ocean or mountains, he said.
