My birthday is mid-October. Usually it falls on or around Thanksgiving…about the same time of year the weather really takes a turn towards the grey, wet fall we’re all familiar with on the west coast. You can appreciate, then, why I enjoy a sunny day on my birthday. I’ve been lucky to have a few years in a row where clear skies have dominated my special day, but this year’s weather I’ll remember for a long time.
Sunshine and warm temperatures blanketed Vancouver Island for the Thanksgiving weekend and throughout this week and there’s no end in sight! Thanks to a blocking ridge which is keeping the storm track off shore, we’ll be under mainly clear skies for at least another week or so. Fog will be a regular theme, though, in the early morning hours. In some cases it’ll take until about lunchtime to lift, but in general the fog will burn off fairly quickly. Temperatures in Victoria are unseasonably warm, too, and are expected to reach 19°C mid-week next week (a far cry from the average of 13°C). If you’re a sun worshipper, I bet you’re thrilled!
Of course, all this sunshine means we haven’t had much rain. So far this month we’ve had less than one quarter of the precipitation we usually see in October. To date October 2013 has recorded 15.2mm of rain in Victoria. Normal is more than 75mm. With all the dry, sunny, warm weather a lot of people are asking if this is an indication of the type of winter to come. While it’s a little early to predict with any real accuracy, Environment Canada suggests Vancouver Island will see average temperatures with a normal amount of rainfall October through December.
Until the storms roll in, I’m perfectly happy with the sunshine! Enjoy it while you can :)
