Halloween is just a few days away, and Vancouver could be in for some extra cold weather on the spooky night, according to the latest forecast.
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) seven-day forecast suggests that we could see a chance of showers during the day, with temperatures of around 11°C, but temperatures are expected to cool down significantly at night to as low as 2°C.
ECCC predicts a 30 per cent chance of showers on Oct. 31 during the day, and then cloudy periods with those brisk near-freezing temperatures at night.
The weather agency’s forecast suggests that Halloween night will be the coldest night of the week in Vancouver.
It’s a similar story for the rest of the week, with most days forecast to have either showers or a chance of showers. The one exception is Sunday, Nov. 1. Currently, ECCC forecasts it to be a sunny day, with highs of 10°C and lows of 4°C.
We reported on the forecast earlier this week, which also stated that Friday, Oct. 30, would see near-freezing temperatures of 2°C. However, now it shows 4°C, so there’s a chance things warm up for Halloween as well.
Vancouver weather forecast (ECCC)
Thankfully, it won’t be anywhere near as cold as it is in Edmonton, which is currently experiencing the first significant snowfall of the season.
Based on conversations we’ve had with ECCC, Metro Vancouver is probably going to have a mild winter, and we probably won’t see much snow. But as most residents know, anything can happen.
Another weather reality that some coastal communities may be experiencing right now is the Kelvin Wave, which we shared a story about earlier this month.
When we spoke to ECCC expert Bill Merryfield on Oct. 16, he suggested it would hit in the next week or two.
“It takes about three months to get from where it is created in the far eastern part of the Pacific along the equator to our shores,” he said.
The main consequence of the wave is a rise in sea levels.
When it was impacting the California area, it had raised sea levels by about 20 to 40 cm, according to Merryfield.
We’ve reported on King Tides in the past, and in combination with the Kelvin wave, it could make for some treacherous conditions along B.C. coastal areas, in combination with the sea-level rise.
The last time we saw this happen “in a very big way,” as Merryfield puts it, was in the late ’90s during a super El Niño.
Merryfield warned that as we get closer to the winter months, this El Niño-caused sea level rise could persist for a number of weeks. In combination with king tides, it could lead to coastal flooding and erosion, worse than what would normally occur.
B.C. is already expecting a mild winter, and this could influence winter conditions by bringing added warmth to coastal areas.