While the rest of Canada is in for another hot summer, people living in coastal British Columbia will see a cooler and milder summer than in recent years.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) senior climatologist David Phillips spoke with C-FAX 1070's Al Ferraby on Thursday about ECCC's summer 2024 outlook.
The weather agency's annual seasonal outlook predicts if temperatures are expected to be hotter or colder than seasonal averages throughout the country.
All of Canada is expected to be warmer than usual this summer, with the exception of coastal B.C., which includes Vancouver Island, the North Coast and Haida Gwaii.
Phillips says warmer temperatures are typically one or two degrees above seasonal averages which may not seem like much but "there's usually very little disagreement... people recognize a one or two degrees spread over 90 days".
On Vancouver Island, temperatures will stay in the usual seasonal range as opposed to recent years where heat waves and drought have plagued Island communities. Phillips described the outlook for the Island as "a pretty good situation because last year it was just too hot and too dry".
Vancouver Island has already had a wet and mild spring so a summer that isn't above seasonal averages should be expected. According to Phillips, there has so far been six days in May and June that temperatures were above 20 C while the average is 11 days for that time.
One of the main concerns with hotter temperatures is the increasing likeliness of wildfires. Islanders are less likely to see wildfires locally due to the milder temperatures, however smoke from fires in the interior and north of the province are still a concern.
Listen to the full interview with David Phillips below: