The weather forecast for Vancouver Island, including Victoria, is calling for a dramatic blast of heat this weekend. Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued heat warnings for areas on East Vancouver Island, including Duncan to Nanaimo, Nanoose Bay to Fanny Bay, and Campbell River to Courteney, expecting temperatures above 31°C. Port Alberni could hit highs up to 36°C.
Starting Friday, the forecast predicts a stretch of sunny and dry weather across much of southern BC.
“[The heat] is pretty significant, [but] we’re not looking at a historical event at this moment,” Morgen Shull, meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), told Daily Hive.
After a relatively mild June with higher-than-normal precipitation, Vancouver Island’s first heatwave of the season will see temperatures expected to surpass or feel above 30°C in some areas over the weekend.
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In Victoria, temperatures are expected to reach a daytime high of 29°C over the weekend and into next week, significantly above the average high of 21°C for this time of year, according to ECCC.
These temperatures don’t factor in the potential humidex or inland temperatures (away from the water).
After a pretty significant “June-uary,” where Greater Victoria saw above-normal rates of rain, the rest of the summer, Shull predicts, will be above normal (heat-wise), sending temperatures into the 30°C range. In areas such as the Interior BC, the humidity could feel closer to 40°C.
“[T]here is a pretty good probability showing for July, August, September, in general, for the temperatures to be above normal,” she said.
“And then also, as far as precipitation, it’s looking like approximately around normal for the province, with maybe, like a low probability of being below normal in the southeast BC and northeast.”
Temperatures in this range — while not as extreme as BC’s 2021 heat dome — have the potential to affect vulnerable populations negatively. Seniors, people with heart conditions, the unhoused, pregnant people, and infants need to be prepared.
How are you preparing for the hot weather? Let us know in the comments.