This past September ranked as one of the hottest on record for Metro Vancouver and the trend of dry sunny skies has continued into October. But does the unseasonable weather extend to the Thanksgiving long weekend?
The answer, sort of.
Many have noticed that the mornings bring a haze of fog and lower temperatures that eventually burn off as the sun comes out. Today (Friday 7) is a mix of sun and cloud with a high of 20 C, 25 C inland.
Overnight, the fog patches return and temperatures dip to a chilly 11 C. But the good news is, anyone planning a brisk Thanksgiving walk or trip to the pumpkin patch on Saturday or Sunday will be pleased to know that the weekend will largely consist of sunshine and clear skies.
Saturday, after the initial morning fog patches there will be a high of 21 C and 25 C inland and Sunday is much the same. There is no anticipated fog Sunday morning and temperatures will reach a high of 20 C and 23 C inland.
Overnight, things will get colder, however. There will be some clouds settling in overnight on Sunday with a low of 9 C, and there is a 60 per cent chance of showers on Thanksgiving Monday.
The temperatures will also drop to 16 C and it will be windy so definitely make all of your outdoor frolicking plans for Saturday or Sunday.
As is always the way, the sun returns for the rest of the work week with a mix of sun and cloud on Tuesday and then full sun Wednesday/Thursday and a high of 18 C.
What is the average October temperature in Metro Vancouver?
According to Environment Canada, this same weekend in previous years saw an average high of 14 C and an average low of 7 C, this weekends forecast surpasses that by several degrees.
The last record high for Thanksgiving was set in 1963 at 22 C, we won't quite reach that this weekend but we will match the record high for Saturday October 9 which was set in 1945 at 21 C. The lowest recorded temperature on this weekend was -0.6 C in 1949.
If this weather pattern continues we may be in for one of the hottest Octobers on record as well. Long term weather predictions don't suggest the temperatures will drop by that much in the next 14 days so don't break out the sweaters just yet.
