Vancouver weather: Dramatic gusts and soggy showers kick off May long

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If you are frantically packing for your long weekend adventure in Metro Vancouver, you will likely need to bring a rain jacket.

The weather forecast calls for a return of rain and some wild wind at the start of May long, aka Victoria Day weekend.

What will Vancouver’s weather forecast be for Friday?

That wind will be even stronger than Thursday night’s gusts, with 80 km/hour predicted near the water. The gusts knocked out power to thousands of BC Hydro customers throughout Metro Vancouver, and many remain without power on Friday morning.

Some took to social media to express their shock that there wasn’t a weather warning about the wind.

“I’m positive these are 50+kmph strong gusts. Strong [enough] to have uprooted a 15 kg wooden screen with 10 kilos of weights places on either side of it backed up by 5 kilos of weight In tables and chairs. All smacked down to the floor by a single gust,” someone wrote on the Burnaby subReddit.

“Not only that, the Weather Channel was advising ‘gusts to 35 kph’ when clearly they were well beyond that. The stuff blowing around at the construction site across the street required me to use earplugs all night,” another expressed.

Others expressed that they had known it was going to be windy because they had checked.

“Not to invalidate your experience — I accept that stuff happened. But I used to live in northern Scotland one of the windiest places in Europe, and last nights wind was not that bad IMO. Not enough to warrant warnings. Of course I don’t have data for that so open to correction. We very rarely get proper wind around here so when it happens it feels like a lot,” another person said.

However, Friday’s high winds will calm by the afternoon, and Environment and Climate Change Canada says the wind will be about 30 km/hour near the water by Friday night.

ECCC

“Increasing cloudiness” is also in the forecast for Vancouver on Friday, and several days of rain are ahead, including a chance for Friday night and Saturday, which might make it soggy in the stands at the Cloverdale Rodeo.

How are BC’s highways and roads this long weekend?

The long weekend falls at a time when a snowfall advisory remains in place for those taking several BC highways, and temperatures are set to cool to single digits overnight until at least Monday, even in Vancouver.

What about the conditions here at home and in the mountains?

While that might mean some jackets for Saturday night’s Canucks vs. Oilers playoff game for folks watching from several outdoor parties, it is great news for skiers and snowboarders still enjoying the spring conditions at Whistler.

While Whistler is open for skiing, Blackcomb just opened Friday to mountain bikers, kicking off its 25th season.

Cool temps and rain are a good thing for the province right now

Plus, while it might dampen some patio plans, there will be lots of breaks for sunshine, and the experts say the temperatures for this time of year are average, perhaps a positive development as wildfire season has already begun.

Nan Lu, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, says the ongoing drought conditions have many in the province concerned.

“We are not seeing really hot weather for this weekend,” Lu explained in an earlier interview with Daily Hive, adding that some might still feel that it is warm enough for a river or lake swim.

“It’s still late spring so the water temperature is still cool even though sometimes the air temperature is hot, so for people going swimming, still be careful of hypothermia,” Lu warned.

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What do you think of the forecast? Let us know in the comments below!