Published on May. 12, 2026, 1:10 AM
A significant pattern change is on the way for British Columbia, bringing an end to the warmer temperatures. The province can expect to see rain, the risk of thunderstorms, and the potential for snow at higher elevations this week
It’s been an exceptional dry streak across southern British Columbia over the past several weeks, with expanding drought conditions and higher fire danger risks.
On Tuesday, it will feel like June across the bulk of the province as a ridge slides across the area. Temperatures will be eight to 10 degrees above normal. Some inland areas could see temperatures approaching the 30-degree mark.
RELATED: Lawn-watering ban starts May 1 in Metro Vancouver, lasts through summer
On Tuesday night, a trough approaches the coast, destabilizing the atmosphere and increasing the risk of a couple of scattered thunderstorms for the South Coast.
The good news is that an extended stretch of much cooler weather is likely starting Wednesday, along with showers and embedded thunderstorms.
Needed rain and thunderstorm threat this week amid warmth
The trough will initiate a sizable pattern change for the province, and by Wednesday afternoon, a pocket of below-seasonal temperatures develops in the southern Interior under a period of heavy showers and embedded thunderstorms.
By Thursday and Friday, the freezing level falls to below 2000 metres across the bulk of the south, meaning the province’s high-elevation travel routes will be subjected to wet snow.
