Farmers and beachgoers alike will have to wait a bit longer before a break in the current weather trend of clouds and rain. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

cloudy and cool

Very cool, and very wet: spring on the Island brings less than ideal weather conditions

Jun 1, 2022 | 4:33 PM

NANAIMO — With intense wind, rain and even snow, spring on Vancouver Island packed a punch.

Weather through March, April and May on the mid-Island was a far departure from a near-bone dry season in 2021 which lead to extended heat domes, devastating wildfires and record droughts.

Environment Canada meteorologist Derek Lee said while we have seen cooler springs, it was certainly one of the wettest.

“We did get lots of precipitation in April, and April was a cooler month, so we did actually see some snow in the beginning of April on the Island. Thunderstorms were also a thing over the Island in early April, and that stood out as something we do not generally see for that long of a period.”

According to local weather stations, Nanaimo saw roughly 17 centimetres of snowfall on April 10.

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A total of 58.4 milimetres of rain fell on April 18 alone, which is a little over a quarter of the amount of rain typical for the entire month of April.

Wind storms dotted throughout the month of May, with Lee telling NanaimoNewsNOW conditions and trends which persisted through April, bled over into May.

“We did a major wind storm over Vancouver Island, it really caused a lot of power outages and could have been one of the windiest May’s we’ve had on record.”

While high winds blanketed much of the Island, the northern part saw winds gusting up to 111 kilometres per hour with wind speeds gusting up to 82 kilometres per hour near Victoria and along the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Forecasters are calling for a La Nina pattern for coastal B.C. through at least the start of the summer.

La Nina causes much cooler ocean temperatures, which has a direct impact on anyone living along the coasts.

“Heading into August we might see a return of more normal temperatures. That’s not to say we can’t have heat events, but overall I think the overall trend will be cooler at least into June and into the early parts of July.”

The cooler weather pattern and moisture lingering on the surface from excessive rains also reduces the fire risk through June.

“That’s not to say we can’t have a warm and dry spell which will in turn heat the ground up and dry things up.”

Long range forecasts are anticipating a ridge of high pressure into the second half of June, bringing sunny weather and mostly dry conditions.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow