Many BC residents may have noticed unseasonably cold temperatures in recent days and with more than a dozen minimum temperature and daily precipitation records broken Thursday, there’s no doubt May’s weather has been unusual in some parts of the province.
Preliminary data shared by Environment Canada revealed 17 records for May 12 fell or were tied due to low temperatures or high precipitation, with most of the previous records being decades old and some more than a century old.
Vancouver broke its previous temperature record of 11.1 C, which was set in 1964, by recording 10.5 C Thursday. West Vancouver’s record also fell after temperatures dipped to 8.9 C. That city’s previous record, set in 1986, was 9 C.
In Victoria, a new low record of 10.6 C was set Thursday, breaking its 1945 record of 11.7 C.
Other minimum temperature records that were broken, according to Environment Canada’s data, include:
- Campbell River area – new record of 8, old record of 10.6 set in 2011.
- Comox area – new record of 9.1, old record of 11.1 set in 1945.
- Duncan area – tied its 1945 record of 11.1.
- Malahat area – new record of 7.9, old record of 10.6 set in 1955.
- Nanaimo area – new record of 8.9, old record of 9.4 set in 1911.
- Port Alberni area – new record of 8.4, old record of 11.7 set in 1911.
- Powell River area – new record of 8.4, old record of 10.4 set in 1986.
- Qualicum Beach area – new record of 8.7, old record of 12 set in 1985.
- Sechelt area – new record of 8.7, old record of 11 set in 1986.
Meanwhile, some parts of the province were also particularly wet Thursday, breaking or tying with previous greatest daily precipitation records. Those records include:
- Comox area – new record of 14.4 mm, old record of 13 set in 1945.
- Powell River area – new record of 45.5 mm, old record of 23.8 set in 1988.
- Puntzi Mountain area – new record of 13.4 mm, old record of 8.9 set in 1974.
- Qualicum Beach area – tied its 1960 record of 13.8 mm.
- Sechelt area – new record of 32.6 mm, old record of 29 set in 1988.
Meteorologist with Environment Canada Armel Castellan told CTV News Vancouver Thursday the cold weather is due to a deep, low-pressure system that has enveloped most of western North America.
“Were lagging behind those regular seasonal values as a result of having an open door to the Pacific, dousing parts of southwest BC and into the Interior,” Castallen said, adding that T-shirt weather may still be weeks away.
“We’re not looking at a big warm up,” he said.
With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Ben Nesbit