VANCOUVER ISLAND, B.C. – The heat is on across Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast.
But enjoy it while it lasts, because Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist said by this time next week, the regions will return to more moderate temperatures with a chance of some much-needed showers.
From Sechelt and Powell River to the northeast tip of Vancouver, residents will be experiencing straight sunshine with temperatures climbing to the mid-to-upper 20s, depending on where you live.
Lundquist said a ridge of high pressure built in from the Pacific has sat down on the entire south coast and interior, bringing with it summer-like temperatures.
“That’s going to persist for about a week,” Lundquist said. “And as the week goes by, temperatures are going to warm up. We’re starting the week with highs around the 20 degree mark plus or minus a couple of degrees and by the weekend, it could be closer to the mid-20s plus or minus. Certainly (there will be) some hot, sunny, dry weather for us in the next week or so.”
Lundquist said that while “it’s not impossible” that heat records will be broken along the Sunshine Coast and northeast Vancouver Island, “it’s going to be tough to attain.”
“It’s something that could happen,” he added.
In Powell River, the heat will reach its apex on Friday, with a forecast of 25 degrees Celsius, before cooling by three or four degrees by Sunday.
The average for Powell River is 15.4 degrees.
It’s a near identical story in Sechelt, with a high of 25 C on Friday and a slight cool down for the weekend.
Over on northeast Vancouver Island, it’ll warm up to 26 C on Thursday and 25 C on Friday in both the Comox Valley and Campbell River, which is a full 10 degrees above average for those communities.
Temperatures will be slightly cooler in Port Hardy, with the warmest day on Friday, when the high will reach 21 C.
That’s a full seven degrees warmer than the average in Port Hardy for this time of year.
Further south in Duncan, residents will see 26 C on Thursday and 25 C on Friday, before a slight cool down on Saturday and Sunday.
By early next week, however, a cooler, more unsettled pattern will prevail, according to Lundquist.
“Next week, it looks like it’s getting to the point where we might get showers again. Early May, often we have a warm spell like this. This is pretty typical for southern B.C. And towards the middle of May and June we can start to see upper low pressure systems and some showery weather coming back and it does look like things will probably turn cooler next week again.”
