By Ian Holmes

Buckets of rainfall in Nanaimo this summer

Aug 2, 2016 | 6:23 PM

NANAIMO — It’s been far from beach weather on Mid-Vancouver Island this summer.

New data from Environment Canada shows that the wet weather trend from June spilled into July with 46.5 mm of rain last month in Nanaimo, nearly double the historical average and well above the 14 mm of rain in July of last year.

In fact, Environment Canada Meteorologist Matt MacDonald says a combined 102 mm of rain poured down on the Mid-Island in June and July, compared to just 28 mm during the same period last year.

MacDonald says we’re seeing a completely different weather pattern this summer.

“Last summer we did have that classic ridge of high pressure move up from California and it really stuck with us all throughout the summer blocking any type of incoming precipitation and that was a very stable atmosphere in the summer of 2015. This summer has been all about these upper lows, very unstable atmosphere and lots of thunderstorms,” said MacDonald.

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He adds that more showery, unsettled weather is the outlook for early August, but suggests the heat may not be far off.

“There is a little bit of residual heat so the forecast is showing slightly warmer than normal but you know what, I wouldn’t be surprised if come August and even September if we see kind of a normal like second half of summer and early fall.”

MacDonald notes that the average temperature last month locally was 18.5 degrees, four-tenths warmer than the historical average.