A sunny mid-week looms with an unusually warm Wednesday on the horizon for Greater Victoria and much of B.C.
The Island hits a one-day heat spell on May 28, expected to linger even longer in the interior of the province, according to a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Monday’s overcast and rainy start cleared mid-morning, transitioning into a “drying trend” the rest of the day as expected, Colin Fong told the Victoria News.
“That sets us up for Tuesday, we’re going to see a ridge of high pressure that builds across all of B.C.,” Fong said. “We can also expect temperatures to increase over the next couple of days.”
That will peak Wednesday, with a high of 28 C anticipated in Greater Victoria, or 18 C where the wind blows.
“That’s a fancy way of saying near the water,” Fong said, noting the exposed coastal areas generally get a west or southwest wind to cool temperatures.
It will be a warm day for May, five or six degrees above normal. Statistics show 18 C in the day and 8 C overnight are generally average for this month.
Wednesday will be warm, but unless the weather takes a dramatic turn, it won’t come close to record-breaking. The one-day record for May 28 in Victoria is 31.5 C in 1983, which is also the all-time record in May.
“The weather’s got some work to do if it really wants to challenge that record,” Fong said with a laugh. “It was very warm across the region that day in 1983.” That same day Victoria Harbour marked its record 29.5 C.
“Wednesday is kind of a one-day wonder, unfortunately. It’s not going to be a prolonged heat situation,” Fong said.
Thursday, cooler temperatures return to the Island, while other parts of the province may see a second day of warmer weather. The coast can expect temperatures around 5 C above average, with the interior potentially hitting 10 degrees above, lingering into Thursday.
For the Island, Thursday rain returns with a dip in temperatures, “but we’re not looking at drastically cooler,” Fong said. “We’re cooling back to normal for this period.”
Things will dry out again until potentially Saturday night or Sunday, with anticipated daytime temperatures in the 20 C range.
