Now that spring has arrived, temperatures are hovering around seasonal norms and winter’s storms are becoming a distant memory.
That means highs around 11 C and overnight lows of about 4 C.
The annual Flower Count has come and gone, with Sidney taking this year’s intermunicipal title in the lighthearted contest known for playing fast-and-loose with its tabulations.
Lower-than-average rainfall into December meant the Sooke Lake Reservoir didn’t fill as quickly as usual — it’s normally brimming by at least early January — but it finally reached capacity this week.
The earliest date for filling since the dam was raised by six metres in 2022 came on Nov. 29. 2021.
Signs of possible drought this spring or summer were noted in January in the Snow Survey and Water Supply Bulletin from the B.C. River Forecast Centre, which said below-normal snow levels at that time could indicate issues ahead.
The province’s snowpack was at 82 per cent of normal on Jan. 10, with the south coast at 70 per cent and Vancouver Island at 62 per cent.
Dan Ponchet, of Dan’s Farm & Country Market in Saanichton, said the recent string of sunny days has meant he has been able to put some seeds in the ground — the kind he typically plants in March.
“Carrots and beets and spinach and green onions are in,” he said. “Who knows how much they’re going to grow, but we wanted to get them in before it starts raining.”
The low temperatures through parts of the winter served to slow things down, Ponchet said, but he has a lot of transplants that are close to being ready.
“In early April, we’ll be planting our first broccoli and cauliflower.”
He also has plenty of things growing in his greenhouses.
Environment Canada meteorologist Derek Lee said he anticpates regular spring days for the rest of the month, followed by normal or slightly below-normal temperatures into April.
April’s highest temperatures tend to be in the 14 C range, he said.
“Once we’re into May, we might see an above-normal trend returning then,” Lee said. “In terms of precipitation, we’re not really seeing too much in the way of extremes in the seasonal forecast for spring.”
Coastal weather in the spring can be “very changeable,” Lee said.
“So we can get thunderstorms, we can get small hail from thunderstorms, rain showers.”
Trek Bicycle Store owner Bill Fry said spring is also the time for many people to get out cycling more, which means a lot of tune-ups getting booked at his Vic West location.
“More and more e-bikes, for sure,” he said.
Some of the bikes he sees have had a taste of the elements over the winter, Fry said.
“They need a fair amount of work.”
He said past supply-chain issues have eased and the shop is better able to secure the parts needed to get bikes primed and ready.
The turn of the season also means that Fisherman’s Wharf is wide open, with all of its shops and eateries now up and running, the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority said.
Another sign of spring for the harbour authority will be the arrival of the year’s first cruise ship on April 11, one of 320 dockings expected this year.
jbell@timescolonist.com
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