Area water parks are set to continue to be very popular with little rain in the long term forecast. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

BONE DRY

Nanaimo marks one month without rain, little coming in long-term forecast

Jul 15, 2021 | 4:24 PM

NANAIMO — It’s been a month since the central Island region recorded even a drop of rain.

The weather station at Nanaimo Airport measured 4.4 millimetres of rain on June 15, with not even the most remote hint of precipitation since. In the time since the last measurable rainfall, temperatures soared to a near-record 40.5 through late June and into July.

Forecasters are calling for a small chance of showers on Thursday night, into Friday, July 16, however if rain does fall it won’t be much.

“I would expect…a couple of millimetres at most,” Bobby Sekhon, Environment Canada meteorologist, said. “If anywhere on Vancouver Island’s going to get measurable precipitation it’s going to be Port Hardy or the western coast of Vancouver Island.”

The chance of showers overnight is forecast to be our only shot at rainfall for some time.

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Long-range projections show little relief in sight for tinder-dry conditions which have sparked a series of brush fires in the region, but no substantial wildfires in the Island’s backcountry.

Sekhon said historically, we shouldn’t expect to see too much rain in the forecast through the rest of the summer.

“Now that we’re into the later part of July and into August, this is our normal dry part of the year so our chances of seeing precipitation are less and less so it doesn’t help with the drought situation at all.”

The eastern portion of Vancouver Island was upgraded to drought level 4 on Wednesday, July 7 with several rivers in the central Island listed as areas of concern for low flow and high water temperature.

Water restrictions across the RDN and City of Nanaimo sit at levels three and four, limiting watering to certain hours of the day. The restrictions also discourage non-essential watering such as lawns.

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— with files from 97.3 The Eagle

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