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Vancouver Island’s summer teaser is over (for now)

Warm weather expected to return next week after record temperatures chased away by rain

Vancouver Island may have experienced an unusually hot spell for this time of year last weekend, but the grey skies most of you are seeing this morning are here to stay.

At least for little while.

“It reached 24.1 in Cowichan on Monday, but it’s the last day with unseasonable temperatures for awhile as the trend starts to move to more seasonal conditions on Tuesday. We’ll also start to see showers return by Monday night,” Armel Castellan, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said.

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Castellan said most Island residents should see seasonal temperatures in the 15 C to 17 C range the rest of the week, and the region will see a mixture of sun, clouds and rain through Friday.

Castellan also said there is a chance for thunderstorms on Tuesday and urged caution for people outdoors.

“We don’t get tornado cells here like in other parts of North America, but people should remain aware that thunderstorms can be dangerous. The rule is ‘if thunder roars, then stay indoors’,” he said.

He said the beginning of the May long weekend on Saturday could the nicest day of the weekend with mostly dry conditions, but then it is forecast to switch to rain for the next two days.

“But from Tuesday onward, the dry and warm weather is expected to return,” Castellan said.

The May 8-10 weekend was sunny and hot throughout the Island and saw a handful of temperature records fall. Thermometers in Comox and Courtnenay hit 26.6 C, beating out 25.6 from 1968. The Port Hardy area hit a new high of 23.6 C, beating out 21.1 C set in 1968. And a variety of records were broken in the Victoria area, with the highest temperatures recorded in Esquimalt, Gonzales Point, Victoria Harbour and the University of Victoria at 27.8 C.

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The conditions mirrored a similar heatwave at the same time last year that beat this year’s by just a few tenths of a degree in several communities.

Castellan said the temperatures in Cowichan on May 9 this year was 27.2 C compared to the record-breaking 27.6 C last year, and May 10 last year saw temperatures rise to 28.6 C, another record breaker, compared to 28.0 C this year.

“However, on May 8 this year, the temperatures reached a record-breaking 25.5 C in Cowichan compared to 24.3 C last year,” Castellan said.

Campbell River’s high on May 9 was recorded to be 24.8 C at 5 p.m. by Environment Canada, while Sunday’s high of 26.9 C arrived at 3 p.m. While Sunday’s high came close to breaking a temperature record, it wasn’t quite enough to beat the historical high of 27. 5 C set in 2019.

The historical low for the same day was set in 1973, when the mercury dipped to -1.7 C.

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Robert Barron

About the Author: Robert Barron

Since 2016, I've had had the pleasure of working with our dedicated staff and community in the Cowichan Valley.
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