NEW NORMAL IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: South Coast saw its driest May in recorded history due to a large ridge of high pressure, Environment Canada says

The New Normal

Water defines British Columbia, and the rhythms of water are changing – winters are wetter and warmer; summers are longer and drier. Flood, drought, fire, wind and cold – extreme events are the New Normal.

May 2018

“Province-wide we’ve been drier than normal just about everywhere,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Lisa Erven.

“Many communities will be setting either the hottest May on record or within the top three.”

The driest places in B.C. have been in the Lower Mainland – for example, Vancouver usually sees about 65 millimetres of rain during the month of May.

In 2018, however, the Vancouver International Airport only reported 1.6 millimetres. That’s 2.5 per cent of what’s considered a normal amount of precipitation.

The only two times in the past 80 years where rainfall has fallen below 10 millimetres for the month was in 2015, with 4.2 millimetres and back in 1946, with 8.4.