News and Weather

Firefighters and scuba divers search for bodies near sunken boats at a yacht club in Acapulco, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, following Hurricane Otis. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Hurricane Otis death toll rises to 48, missing now number 36 as search and recovery work continues

At least 48 people died when Category 5 Hurricane Otis slammed into…

 

Members of the North Saanich Fire Department haul out the water cannon at KELSET school on May 12 as the first heat wave of the year descends on the region. (North Saanich Fire Department/Facebook)

North Saanich registers as hottest place in Canada Monday morning

Temperature records broken across Greater Victoria, heat expected to continue this week

 

People walk along the seawall around Stanley Park in Vancouver, Wednesday, March 23, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

19 B.C. communities break temperature records as spring weather finally arrives

Oldest record was from 1922, broken in Prince George, while Kamloops was the hottest spot in Canada

 

The Naysmiths’ makeshift cooling station lets off some refreshing mist at 885 Runnymede Pl. on Thursday (July 28). (Evert Lindquist/News Staff)

Cooling station mist-ifies boiling passersby

Concert misting system inspired resident to beat the heat

The Naysmiths’ makeshift cooling station lets off some refreshing mist at 885 Runnymede Pl. on Thursday (July 28). (Evert Lindquist/News Staff)
(File photo)

Tornado warning issued for Eastern Alberta

A severe thunderstorm is bringing the possibility of tornados

(File photo)
Canadians are in for a wild ride on a temperature roller-coaster in the coming weeks. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Canada expected to see ‘temperature roller-coaster’

B.C. to see more storms and below-average temperatures while Alberta braces for turbulent weather

Canadians are in for a wild ride on a temperature roller-coaster in the coming weeks. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
People cross-country ski at Locarno Beach after an overnight snowfall in Vancouver, B.C., Saturday, Dec. 25, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Western Canada under extreme cold warning, wind chill reaching -55 C

Arctic outflow winds and low temperatures have also been forecast for much of B.C. with mercury below -20C

People cross-country ski at Locarno Beach after an overnight snowfall in Vancouver, B.C., Saturday, Dec. 25, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
People cross-country ski at Locarno Beach after an overnight snowfall in Vancouver, B.C., Saturday, Dec. 25, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Dreams of white Christmas come true in Vancouver, while cold grips Prairies

Unusual weather was due to very cold air in the province’s Interior that’s being drawn out to the coast

People cross-country ski at Locarno Beach after an overnight snowfall in Vancouver, B.C., Saturday, Dec. 25, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Storm watchers take in the waves off Ucluelet. (Westerly file photo)

Storm warning: B.C. West Coast prepares as best it can for inevitable rough weather

BC Hydro ready as La Nina returns, with expected intensified winds and rainfall

Storm watchers take in the waves off Ucluelet. (Westerly file photo)
A plume of smoke rise from a forest fire burning northeast of the city in Prince Albert, Sask., Monday, May 17, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Kayle Neis)

Western Canada desperately needs rain but it’s not in the forecast: climatologist

300 wildfires were burning across British Columbia Monday, evacuation orders were issued for several regions

A plume of smoke rise from a forest fire burning northeast of the city in Prince Albert, Sask., Monday, May 17, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Kayle Neis)
This satellite image provided by European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 data (processed by Spacetec) shows a wildfire burning 40 km (about 25 miles) northeast of Pink Mountain in British Columbia. (European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 data via AP)

PHOTOS: B.C. wildfires as seen from space

Copernicus Sentinel-2 captures fires and other large weather events from dozens of satellites

This satellite image provided by European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 data (processed by Spacetec) shows a wildfire burning 40 km (about 25 miles) northeast of Pink Mountain in British Columbia. (European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 data via AP)
Children cool off in a public fountain in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, June 19, 2021. The heat wave continues in Lithuania as temperature rose to as high as 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 degrees Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

B.C. cities could reach 40 C as 4-day extreme heat warning issued around province

Officials urging seniors, children and pets to stay safe in the heat

Children cool off in a public fountain in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, June 19, 2021. The heat wave continues in Lithuania as temperature rose to as high as 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 degrees Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
A cross-country skier glides along the banks of the Ottawa River in Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. Canadians across the country can look forward to a mild spring peppered with the odd winter flashback throughout the first part of the season, according to predictions from one prominent national forecaster. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Mild spring with some wintry blasts predicted for most of Canada: Weather Network

Weather Network is forecasting a slower than average start to spring in British Columbia

A cross-country skier glides along the banks of the Ottawa River in Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. Canadians across the country can look forward to a mild spring peppered with the odd winter flashback throughout the first part of the season, according to predictions from one prominent national forecaster. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Shubenacadie Sam looks around after emerging from his burrow at the wildlife park in Shubenacadie, N.S. on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. Sam saw his shadow and predicts six more weeks of winter. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Canada’s weather-predicting groundhogs call for early spring

As usual, Shubenacadie Sam was the first groundhog in North America to make a prediction

Shubenacadie Sam looks around after emerging from his burrow at the wildlife park in Shubenacadie, N.S. on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. Sam saw his shadow and predicts six more weeks of winter. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
Thousands in the Cowichan Valley and the south Island were still without power as of Tuesday morning after an unexpected snowstorm hit the area on Monday, with heavy snow cracking off tree branches and taking down power lines. Pictured is a vehicle in Duncan after being struck by falling branches. (Robert Barron/Citizen)

UPDATED: Thousands still without power in Cowichan after Monday snowstorm

BC Hydro crews working around the clock to repair damage

Thousands in the Cowichan Valley and the south Island were still without power as of Tuesday morning after an unexpected snowstorm hit the area on Monday, with heavy snow cracking off tree branches and taking down power lines. Pictured is a vehicle in Duncan after being struck by falling branches. (Robert Barron/Citizen)
Smoke from wildfires burning in the U.S. obscures the view of downtown Vancouver, at a lookout at Cypress Provincial Park, in West Vancouver, B.C,, on Saturday, September 12, 2020. The World Air Quality Index, a non-profit that tracks air quality from monitoring stations around the world, rated Vancouver’s air quality as the second worst in the world Saturday. Environment Canada has issued a special air quality statement for Metro Vancouver, showing a very high risk to health due to wildfire smoke from Washington and Oregon. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Lengthy, enjoyable fall ahead for most of Canada, Weather Network predicts

In B.C., warm conditions and the threat of wildfire smoke may remain in the picture for a few more weeks

Smoke from wildfires burning in the U.S. obscures the view of downtown Vancouver, at a lookout at Cypress Provincial Park, in West Vancouver, B.C,, on Saturday, September 12, 2020. The World Air Quality Index, a non-profit that tracks air quality from monitoring stations around the world, rated Vancouver’s air quality as the second worst in the world Saturday. Environment Canada has issued a special air quality statement for Metro Vancouver, showing a very high risk to health due to wildfire smoke from Washington and Oregon. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
James Blacksmith said the windows on his vehicle were blown out by a tornado in Manitoba on Aug. 7 before it was tossed over and over again before landing on its roof. A first responder checks on an overturned vehicle at the scene where a tornado touched down, uprooting trees and overturning two vehicles near Virden, Man., in a Friday, Aug. 7, 2020, handout photo published to social media. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Wallace District Fire Department, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

‘Happy that I’m alive:’ Survivor recalls deadly Manitoba tornado hitting Jeep

Blacksmith spent four days being treated for a fractured vertebra, scrapes and bruises

James Blacksmith said the windows on his vehicle were blown out by a tornado in Manitoba on Aug. 7 before it was tossed over and over again before landing on its roof. A first responder checks on an overturned vehicle at the scene where a tornado touched down, uprooting trees and overturning two vehicles near Virden, Man., in a Friday, Aug. 7, 2020, handout photo published to social media. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Wallace District Fire Department, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
(Black Press Media files)
(Black Press Media files)
Canadian snowpack gets thinner every decade: Environment Canada study

Canadian snowpack gets thinner every decade: Environment Canada study

Much of what used to come down as snow now happens as rain

Canadian snowpack gets thinner every decade: Environment Canada study
Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning for the area of Parksville Qualicum Beach, calling for 60 millimetres of rain by Saturday Feb. 1. (News file photo)

Rainfall warning issued for mid-Island’s east coast

Environment Canada says 60 milimeters of rain expected by Saturday

Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning for the area of Parksville Qualicum Beach, calling for 60 millimetres of rain by Saturday Feb. 1. (News file photo)