Update Friday 11AM –
Issued at 2017-06-23 17:52 UTC by Environment Canada:
Special weather statement issued for:
East Vancouver Island, B.C. (081300)
Special weather statement continued for:
Inland Vancouver Island, B.C. (081500)
Current details:
Hot weather is expected this weekend.
A strong upper ridge of high pressure building over the province will result in a brief heat wave over southwest BC. Temperatures will peak this weekend with maximums of at least 32 degrees expected away from the water on the South Coast and reaching the mid to high 30s over the southwestern interior. A few daily record high temperatures will likely be broken with this heat wave. For example, the record high for Abbotsford is 31.4 degrees on Saturday and 32.0 degrees on Sunday. Temperatures will moderate noticeably on Monday over the South Coast as an onshore flow of cooler, marine air develops. Temperatures in the southwest interior will also peak on Sunday and daytime highs on Monday should be at least couple of degrees cooler.
The risks are greater for young children, pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic illnesses and people working or exercising outdoors.
Watch for the effects of heat illness: swelling, rash, cramps, fainting, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and the worsening of some health conditions.
Drink plenty of water even before you feel thirsty and stay in a cool place.
Never leave people or pets inside a parked vehicle.
Get informed
– Check the local news for health and safety updates.
– For more information on heat-related illness, call HealthLinkBC at 811.
– Contact your local government to find out what services (such as air-conditioned buildings and public splash parks) are available in your area.
Update Friday 7AM Special Weather Statement Issued.
Issued at 2017-06-23 12:11 UTC by Environment Canada:
Special weather statement issued for:
Inland Vancouver Island, B.C. (081500)
Current details:
Hot weather is expected this weekend.A strong upper ridge of high pressure building over the province will result in a heat wave for the South Coast. Temperatures will peak this weekend with maximums of at least 32 degrees expected away from the water. A few daily record high temperatures will likely be broken with this heat wave. For example, the record high for Abbotsford is 31.4 degrees on Saturday and 32.0 degrees on Sunday. Temperatures will begin to moderate on Monday as an onshore flow of cooler, marine air develops.
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The forecast has moderated a little which is nice. If I have time this evening I will update the post with the latest info.
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have held off on a post this week partly to give the May summary some time on the frontpage but also to see if the weekend forecast from Environment Canada would moderate. It hasn’t, but there is still uncertainty. Here are the details on what to expect over what may be our first unofficial heat wave of 2017.
As you can tell from the beautiful clear morning, the heat will begin to build today. EC predicts a high of 24°C today and we can see below that the UWash model agrees with the Alberni Valley mainly indicating between 22-25°C (in yellow) and possibly higher up to 27°C (orange).
On Friday temperatures ratchet up. EC predicts 28°C and the UWash prediction agrees with the Valley firmly into the dark orange 27-29°C range. The record for the day at the Airport is 26.9°C in 2015.
We ratchet up again on Saturday with EC predicting 34°C, which would break the Airport record of 30.1°C (2006) and maybe challenge the all-time record of 36.7°C at Port Alberni station in 1926. The UWash is almost there with them, prediction a range between 31-33°C. However, it is worth noting the deep Fraser Valley areas and Harrison Lake on the far right of the image below does have areas in the pink 33-35°C. Whether that extreme reaches the Island is the question.
The hottest day of the weekend is predicted to be Sunday. EC says 36°C. The high resolution forecast from UWash for Sunday won’t be out until this afternoon, but the low resolution does seem to support the possibility of 35°C or higher temperatures on Sunday. However, like Saturday, the hottest heat is focused in he Fraser Valley and Uwash is not quite as extreme on the Island, but still up to 33°C. I will update this this afternoon when the new forecasts are out. Either way, we have a chance to break the 34.4°C (2006) record for the day at the Airport. The all time record is 37.8°C at Beaver Creek in 1925. Lets hope we don’t break that. I do not expect we will.
The mini heatwave breaks on Monday with sun remaining but temperatures only in the low to mid-twenties but there is disagreement on how much. EC still says 30ºC but UWash says it will be in the low-20s. We’ll have to wait and see how it shakes out.
Break out the cold water, cold beer, and sun shades. It’s gonna get toasty!
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