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While July is usually quite dry in British Columbia, the beginning of the month will be a reversal of that trend. In fact, some areas could see a month’s worth of rain early this week thanks to a moisture-laden system that also brings the risk of thunderstorms to the countryside on Sunday. Some of them may be heavy in parts of the interior. More on the weather and what to expect below.
CANADA’S JULY FORECAST: Is the summer boiling or the heat subsiding? Your monthly outlook here
SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY: UNUSUAL RAIN FOR JULY, BRINGS DANGER OF FLOODING
A congested upper level pattern is to blame for the upcoming stretch of rainy conditions.
We are seeing a rex block in Western Canada this weekend. This blocking upper-level pattern occurs when an upper-level low becomes trapped beneath an upper-level ridge, essentially blocking the jet stream and forcing a stagnant pattern to remain in place for days—and even weeks in extreme cases.
While Arctic Circle communities endure an impressive stretch of unusual warmth as a result of this persistent ridge, BC will fall on the unstable side of the blocking pattern with this low remaining over the region.
This pattern is responsible for the upcoming patch of rain that will begin to drench the South Coast and Lower Mainland early Sunday and continue through Tuesday. British Columbia should expect heavy rain and thunderstorms to spread across the province during the first half of the week.
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Steady, dreary rain will begin to fall over the region during the day on Sunday, which is likely to be the heaviest day to start the new work week.
In total, rainfall will be around 30-50mm for most of the area, with isolated areas in excess of 50mm possible, especially for parts of the interior. That might not sound like much, but considering July is usually pretty dry, that’s almost a month’s worth of rainfall for some places by July 6.
There will be a risk of severe thunderstorms across parts of the interior on Sunday, with widespread, weak chances for much of southern and central British Columbia, including the Lower Mainland. For the latter, however, there is a risk of stronger storm dynamics.
Several watersheds are seeing increased flows from heavy snowmelt runoff, and heavy rains are poised to cause additional flood risks in the first week of July.
LOOKING AHEAD: STORAGE RAIN IN LOCATIONS, AROUND SEASONAL
Rain will begin to move away from southern British Columbia on Tuesday, leaving behind a chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms for the rest of the week.
We’ll escape any British Columbia summer heat as we make our way through the first week of the month. Temperatures should be around or slightly below seasonal for the next seven days, with highs hovering around 20C throughout the period in Vancouver.
Check back for the latest details on the rain headed for British Columbia.
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