The first week of June will be cooler and wetter than normal across most of B.C., but the rest of the month will likely be hotter and drier than seasonal norms.

That is the outlook Environment Canada warning preparedness meteorologist Armel Castellan gave during Friday含羞草研究社檚 (May 31) update on seasonal preparedness for summer heat.

Castellan含羞草研究社檚 outlook can be read as a warning to British Columbians to prepare themselves for higher temperatures, but he is also against treating these seasonal predictions with too much certainty.

British Columbians will only know about individual precipitation and weather events in the days leading up to them, he said. He said modelling for June, July and August will likely be a warmer-than-normal summer, with just Haida Gwaii and parts of Vancouver Island could see more near-normal temperatures.

Castellan said May saw 含羞草研究社渘ear-normal含羞草研究社� quantities of rain for B.C.含羞草研究社檚 central Interior, but added that most of B.C. has experienced a 含羞草研究社減recipitation deficit含羞草研究社� during the spring of 2024 in line with the last two years.

Castellan was joined by Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry, Health Minister Adrian Dix and Josie Osborne, B.C.含羞草研究社檚 minister of energy, mines and low carbon innovation, and other provincial staff.

Henry said it含羞草研究社檚 no surprise that B.C. has been seeing hotter and drier summers due to climate change.

She added people should start preparing now for hot spells, such as identifying people who are more at risk from heat.

One of the tools the province has been working on the last few years is the B.C. Heat Alert and Response System, a collaboration between scientists, Environment Canada, health authorities and more.

含羞草研究社淲e have a system now where we can put out information where people can understand what the risk is in your area. It含羞草研究社檚 important to pay attention to these.含羞草研究社�

Henry said the province will be putting out heat warnings when there area higher-than-normal temperatures of several days, and when it含羞草研究社檚 pretty steady.

含羞草研究社淚n those occasions where we have not only higher daytime temperatures, but it含羞草研究社檚 continually getting hotter of a period of days and not getting cooler at night, that is when we would be in a state of an extreme heat emergency.含羞草研究社�

This year, B.C. highway signs will also have information on heat and where to go in the event of extreme heat.

More to come含羞草研究社�

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