The TRUE Summary of Weather in Vancouver
(compiled one grey June morning)
After 6 years of living in Vancouver and more than 4 years of closely monitoring the weather daily via vancam, I qualify myself as a Recreational Weather Expert. With my new title in hand, I now provide the TRUE summary of weather in Vancouver.
January
Dryer than December by a long shot. The odd clear day with temps near 10'C where you go for a run on the seawall and wonder what people in the rest of Canada are doing. Rain the rest of the time.
February
Rain, usually accompanied by a 1-2 week drought (as was the case during the 2010 Winter Olympics) where you actually start to miss the rain and subsequent awesome ski conditions in the mountains.
March
Monsoon. A few years back it rained 23 days in a row. If temperatures in the city remain below 10'C you can get some of the best ski conditions on the planet (2011, 2012). If temps are slightly warmer, the snow in the mountain falls as rain and you remain miserable in the city.
April
Spring? For sure. Sun about 10 days a month where the blooms are out in full force. The cherry blossoms come out towards the end of the month and the ski days at Whistler are long and 'pleasant'. Rain the rest of the time.
May
May can be good, but this is just a teaser. Usually about 5 above average sunny days where you are convinced summer is here to stay. Rain the rest.
June
What is the deal with June? June, commonly known as JUNARY, typically consists of 2-3 weeks of cool (12'C) and very wet weather. This is a true slap in the face when the rest of the country has already enjoyed weeks of hot summer weather. Usually a strange feeling of Ontario-envy kicks in at this point (don't worry it never lasts).
July
Congratulations you made it to summer in Vancouver. Sun, moderate temps in the low 20's and sunset bbq's on the beach to go well past 10:00pm. Life is good.
August
This is why you live here. Typically a huge ridge of high pressure parks itself over the coast and we are left with nothing but sun. Some municipalities even enforce water restrictions as they are running out of water - this seems shocking given the events of the last 8 months. Get out there and pack a whole year's worth of adventures into one month.
September
September is the hidden gem. The gift from August usually lingers for the first half of September giving lots of sunny days. Book your time off for now, send the kids back to school, and enjoy the ideal time to absorb the last bit of sun you will see for the next 10 months.
October
Oh isn't that cute the rain is back. We had such a great 1.5 months of summer and we probably need the rain anyways. The days are getting shorter and snow starts to appear on the very tops of the mountains. I guess 'IT' is coming.
November
IT is here. Holy mother wall of water. November is wet. Either fly immediately to your preferred choice of Mexico/Hawaii/anywhere-but-here, or hope the freezing levels are low enough to enjoy what will probably be some of the best skiing of the year.
December
Rain. Go to work in the dark & rain at 8 am, come home in the dark & rain at 4 pm. It's dark. It's raining. Embrace the holiday season because it is going to be a long, wet slog until July rolls around again.
Keep watching.
email: info AT vancam.ca |
