Vancouver's fall forecast: El Niño to deliver warm and dry weather

BC’s long-term fall forecast is out, and it looks like El Niño will be bringing warmer and drier weather than normal to the West Coast this year.

According to meteorologists with The Weather Network, BC will see above-average temperatures and drier-than-average conditions for most of fall — but that doesn’t mean the storms that do come to our door will be mild.

“Despite the forecast for drier conditions overall, we are concerned about the risk of a couple of high-impact storms before the end of the season,” senior meteorologist Doug Gillham writes. “The widespread warmer-than-normal ocean water temperatures in the north Pacific supports a risk for excessive rain with any strong storms that impact the region.”

The weather network

You might also like:
• Fall forecast: La Niña to bring wild autumn for BC
• Rainy season returns: First fall storm coming to Vancouver this weekend
• Northern lights amaze lucky Vancouver sky-gazers despite clouds (PHOTOS)

BC has dealt with a historic wildfire season this summer, and the rains that do come are forecast to bring some relief. But Gillham doesn’t think there will be enough rain in the Interior to completely extinguish blazes anytime soon.

The Weather Network

The warmer and drier fall may also mean a delayed start to ski season, although it’s too early to tell for sure.

The shift to drier and warmer fall weather is in part thanks to a transition this year from a La Niña phenomenon to an El Niño one in the Pacific Ocean, where waters near the equator are now warmer than normal.

Rain is in the forecast for Vancouver next week, but Gillham says that’s not indicative of what the whole season will look like. He expects a more mild and dry pattern to be dominant over the next three months.