It was a long, cold, wet winter for Victorians. We weren’t quite sure if summer weather would ever arrive. But when it did, it came in full force.
It was the hottest August on record for southern Vancouver Island this year and summer will continue to rage on through September, according to the Weather Network.
“The overall pattern of warmer than normal temperatures across most of Canada will continue to dominate through the month of September,” says The Weather Network.
In fact, most of Canada is experiencing above seasonal temperatures for this time of year.
Despite the heat, BC is currently experiencing the lowest number of wildfires caused by humans since 1950 according to the provincial Ministry of Forests.
Since April 1st, there have been 1,372 wildfires in BC. Those fires caused 43,000 hectares of land to be burned.
Last year over the same period of time, there had been 1,562 wildfires causing 865,298 hectares burned.
75% of wildfires this year were due to lightning strikes. Currently, there are 177 active wildfires in BC with 13 being on Vancouver Island.
Early September we will experience drier than normal conditions and that pattern will continue on through the rest of the month into October.
Over the Labour Day long weekend, British Columbians will have to remain diligent in their fire safety as these hot, dry conditions are a perfect recipe for an elongated wildfire season.
If there is a fire in your community, call (toll-free) 1-800-663-5555 (or *5555 from a cell phone) or use the Report of Fire function on the BC Wildfire Service app as soon as possible.
