Sunset on Sunday, July 20 came with a little more orange than normal, thanks in large part to a thin covering of smoke from wildfires. Conditions are expected to improve this week. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

changing conditions

Extended heat wave for Nanaimo & Oceanside finally breaks

Jul 22, 2024 | 9:57 AM

NANAIMO — A stretch of more than two weeks featuring relatively intense heat has finally broken as the skies finally greyed over much of the central Island on Sunday.

Light to moderate shower activity throughout much of the day provided the first break from, at times, scorching heat since the start of the month.

Data from Environment Canada shows over a 16 day span between July 4 and July 20, the lowest daytime high recorded by Nanaimo Airport monitoring station was 27.2 degrees Celsius.

The mercury topped 30 degrees on 10 of the 16 days, setting multiple daily temperature records, and including a monthly high of 33.4 degrees set on both July 5 and July 17.

Readings at Qualicum Airport were on average a couple of degrees cooler, however still topped out at 32 degrees on July 17.

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Forecasters are calling for a much more seasonal stretch of weather for the next week, with temperatures in the low 20’s.

Weather Network meteorologist Melinda Singh said a new pattern is pushing out the stagnant hot, dry air.

“We’ve got an onshore flow moving through, that’s going to be helping with the smoke across parts of the Lower Mainland down towards Vancouver Island so things are going to be getting lighter.”

Air quality values for the Nanaimo region remained in the ‘good’ categories, according to the province’s index, despite a light covering noticeable Sunday from fires in the United States.

Sunday’s showers did little to ease drought in the region, and it’s unclear how much rain fell at the Nanaimo Airport monitoring station.

Nanaimo went 52 consecutive days without measurable precipitation in June, July and August 2021, setting a new all-time record.

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