"The story was warmer and drier."
That's Environment Canada meteorologist Alyssa Charbonneau on what the start of the fall season has been like in the Lower Mainland.
Several places across the province have broken heat records over the past month, including Abbotsford, which typically has a mean temperature of 15.3 C. This September, the Fraser Valley city saw a mean temperature of 17.9 C, she tells Vancouver Is Awesome.
Vancouver didn't set a record for September but ranked among its hottest on record. With a mean temperature of 16 C this year, it was well above the 14.9 C average, making it the fourth-warmest September overall.
In addition to record-breaking heat, Abbotsford also saw record low precipitation this year, with only 0.9 mm of rain in September; a typical month sees 75.5 mm.
Vancouver was significantly below average, with only 7 mm of rainfall in the month; a typical September sees about 50.9 mm, making it the seventh driest on record.
Things aren't expected to cool off anytime soon, either.
Vancouver weather forecast for October 2022 and beyond
For at least the next week, the forecast includes sunshine and unseasonably warm daily highs.
"[B.C.] set multiple daily temperature records [on Oct. 2] and [on Oct. 1], particularly in the Fraser Valley, and that sort of looks like our pattern heading forward," Charbonneau explains.
"We've been having a really persistent weather pattern of this strong ridge of high pressure and we're just trying to when will be the next big storm will shift things and we don't really see a good, good indication of that on the horizon."
Beyond this week, Environment Canada's forecast becomes less certain. Looking ahead, however, the rest of the fall season is expected to see "above normal" temperatures, notes Charbonneau.
So far, these early October temperatures are quite a bit above average. Typically, early October days aren't much high than 15 C. Lately, they've been soaring up to 20 C and higher.
There are also some early indications that Metro Vancouver may see another La Niña winter again this year. However, conditions will need to be reevaluated again later this year, Charbonneau adds.
La Niña, "the girl" in Spanish, names the "appearance of cooler than normal waters" in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, according to the Canadian government; it is the opposite of an El Niño weather event.
Find out what Environment Canada had to say about the cumulative effect of three La Niña years in a row on local weather.
