Zero rain so far in June puts parts of B.C. on unsteady fire footing
Rain in June is like liquid gold across British Columbia, where we need every drop of precipitation we can get ahead of the heart of wildfire season.
That's why it's concerning that we haven't seen any measurable rain so far this month in Vancouver, the airport in Victoria, or in Kamloops.
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Rainfall totals in Vancouver have run a little behind normal for the past couple of months. The city saw 82 per cent of its normal rainfall in April, and 97 per cent of its normal precipitation in May.
We've had exactly 0 mm of rain so far this June, a month that averages about 51 mm of precipitation at the Vancouver Airport. It's a similar situation down at the airport in Victoria, as well as farther inland in Kamloops.
Only a handful of years on record—seven, to be exact—have seen no measurable precipitation in Vancouver through the first 12 days of June. This is likely going to be Vancouver's longest dry stretch so far in 2025.
History suggests we'll see at least some rain by June 30. None of these three cities have ever recorded a completely rain-free June.
Vancouver's driest June saw just 4.4 mm of rain in 1922. Victoria Airport's lowest June rain total came in at 2.6 mm in 1951, with Kamloops following behind at 2.3 mm back in 1967.
Looking ahead to this weekend, rain is expected across the Interior through Saturday, with heavy amounts expected in the B.C. Peace.
Along the South Coast, forecasters expect dry conditions to prevail for the next 7-10 days, with maybe one day of possible precipitation to break the dry streak.
This isn't good news as we head into the heart of wildfire season, as we've seen with the Squamish fire this week.
Stay with The Weather Network for the latest on conditions across B.C.
Header satellite image courtesy of NOAA.
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Zero rain so far in June puts parts of B.C. on unsteady fire footing
Rain in June is like liquid gold across British Columbia, where we need every drop of precipitation we can get ahead of the heart of wildfire season. That's why it's concerning that we haven't seen any measurable rain so far this month in Vancouver, the airport in Victoria, or in Kamloops. DON'T MISS: Rainfall totals in Vancouver have run a little behind normal for the past couple of months. The city saw 82 per cent of its normal rainfall in April, and 97 per cent of its normal precipitation in May. We've had exactly 0 mm of rain so far this June, a month that averages about 51 mm of precipitation at the Vancouver Airport. It's a similar situation down at the airport in Victoria, as well as farther inland in Kamloops. Only a handful of years on record—seven, to be exact—have seen no measurable precipitation in Vancouver through the first 12 days of June. This is likely going to be Vancouver's longest dry stretch so far in 2025. History suggests we'll see at least some rain by June 30. None of these three cities have ever recorded a completely rain-free June. Vancouver's driest June saw just 4.4 mm of rain in 1922. Victoria Airport's lowest June rain total came in at 2.6 mm in 1951, with Kamloops following behind at 2.3 mm back in 1967. Looking ahead to this weekend, rain is expected across the Interior through Saturday, with heavy amounts expected in the B.C. Peace. Along the South Coast, forecasters expect dry conditions to prevail for the next 7-10 days, with maybe one day of possible precipitation to break the dry streak. This isn't good news as we head into the heart of wildfire season, as we've seen with the Squamish fire this week. Stay with The Weather Network for the latest on conditions across B.C. Header satellite image courtesy of NOAA. Click here to view the video
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Windsor-Essex is in for a summer of heat waves, thunderstorms and smoke. How should you prepare?
The official start of summer is weeks away on June 21 — but experts are already warning you to brace for a hot, stormy season with the looming threat of wildfire smoke. "Windsor and southern Ontario are sitting in that above normal temperature category," said Rachel Modestino, a meteorologist with The Weather Network. "One of the biggest features we're going to be seeing this summer is a heat dome." Modestino said heat waves, as the heat dome moves sluggishly from the central Unites States through the Great Lakes, can begin in Windsor-Essex in late June into July, and could be "on and off" throughout the summer. Windsor-Essex will also see thunderstorms that occur along the edges of that heat dome: Known as "Ring of Fire" thunderstorms, they occur where cooler and warmer air meet. "It'll be a combination of the thunderstorms, the Ring of Fire thunderstorms, but also the storm tracks coming up the East Coast where that high pressure is located." Modestino said wildfire smoke could also be a potential threat, travelling from northern Ontario and the prairies. Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips agrees. He told Windsor Morning host Amy Dodge Monday that this week, temperatures will remain in the mid to high 20s, with Tuesday expected to be the warmest day of the year so far. Philips said Environment Canada and other models suggest that Canada is going to be "warmer than normal" this summer. "All [models] saying we're going to be warm, warm, warm," he said. "There's lots of reds on the weather map I'm looking at and the redder it is, the more confident you are. Most of the computer runs are saying the same thing. We're pretty confident that it's going to be warmer than normal." Philips said the summer, according to Environment Canada's current 90-day forecast, shows "a little wetter than normal" weather for the region. 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Besides cooling centres and spray pads available throughout the summer, residents can access Keep the Heat, a Windsor-based program that helps low-income families pay a portion of their utility bills when they're higher because they're running an air conditioner more often. Dean Christie, the program's director of finance, said they have encouraged its clients to negotiate with their landlords to see if there is a possibility of saving on some of those costs. Christie said since the program's inception in 2005, rising temperatures have meant "an increasing demand." Consequently, they've had to reduce the amount people can access — from $1,000 to $800 — that people can access to pay their utility bills, so they can help more people. He said last year, 1,194 unique households, or 1,865 adults and 1,636 children, accessed the program — a 25 per cent increase from the previous year. But Christie says he worries about the future with extreme heat slated to become more common and prolonged. 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