Environment Canada is calling for a warmer and drier than average summer and winter for B.C. due to an El Niño forming in the Pacific.
An unusually warm Pacific ocean combined with a shift in atmospheric circulation develops an El Niño weather pattern which brings warmer temperatures and lower than normal precipitation levels to much of the world. The El Niño conditions can also cause dramatic weather events around the Pacific, including droughts, floods and monsoons.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology announced on May 12 that El Niño thresholds have been reached in the tropical Pacific for the first time since March 2010.
Meteorologists are since predicting significant warmer than normal temperatures for May, June, July and August for the West Coast of Canada from southern Vancouver Island upwards to Yukon and as far east as Alberta.
Temperatures will see the largest increase on the coast and Vancouver Island as far north as Haida Gwaii and in the Cariboo-Prince George region. Precipitation will not be as severely affected but will be slightly lower than normal for most of the province.
Elsewhere in Canada, temperatures will be slightly higher the normal for the majority of the country except for norther Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador and the eastern Arctic region which will see normal to below normal temperatures.
Image: Environment Canada
Image: Environment Canada
Unfortunately for skiers and boarders, the El Niño could also mean a milder winter similar to the one we experienced this year. Local ski hills were greatly burdened during the 2014-2015 season with a dire lack of snow, with some closing early and others not operating at all.
Of course, with all weather reports, there is always an element of uncertainty.
Are you happy to hear about a warmer summer?
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