While yes, Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast are getting some rain, it will not be enough to improve the drought situation.
That from Environment Canada meteorologist Bobby Sekhon, who says more is needed for any real impact.
“Certainly any level of precipitation is welcome at this point, but the reality is that the drought situation is quite poor,” says Sekhon. “This day or two of rain really isn’t going to alleviate things all that much.”
Sekhon says that the area is generally expecting anywhere from 10 to 40 millimetres of rain, with most on the northwest coast of the island.
He says it would take several organized systems like this to make a dent in the overall drought level.
“We’re going to need multiple systems like this in order to put a few more drops in an otherwise empty bucket,” says Sekhon.
He says that after this system passes, they’re not seeing any other organized systems like this one.
“In terms of any appreciable amounts of rain, it’s not looking good in the mid-range forecast,” he says.
As for the state of the drought in comparison, Sekhon adds that Victoria International Airport’s stats list this as the fourth driest first-half of a year on record, going back to 1915.
“The precipitation deficit is quite large at this point, I don’t have that specific figure of how much below normal we are, but we’re talking about multi-season drought here,” says Sekhon. “It’s going to take a lot more precipitation on a regular basis to alleviate some of these concerns.”
With a chance of thunderstorms for certain parts of the region this evening, he reminds ‘when thunder roars, try to go indoors.’
