No reprieve in sight for B.C.'s prolonged drought and wildfires
The remainder of August won't have any relief in store for B.C.'s drought- and wildfire-stricken regions as conditions will remain rather dry without substantial rainfall in the foreseeable future
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B.C. residents hoping for a turnaround in the extended period of drought and wildfire conditions won't like what's expected weather-wise for the rest of August.
SEE ALSO: Understand how B.C.'s drought is affecting communities
The province can expect to see plenty of high-pressure ridges as the month wears on, meaning heat and a lack of rainfall will prevail, according to Kevin MacKay, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.
"We're going to be heading back up towards that 30-degree mark right through the middle of the month," said MacKay.
Above-seasonal temperatures and extended drought conditions have led to water restrictions and continued wildfires.
Since April, much of southern B.C. has seen "well below" 50 per cent of the average rainfall, with some areas even dropping below 30 per cent, according to MacKay.
Looking ahead to the remainder of August, the dry areas will remain that way, so the wildfire season isn't likely to improve any time soon. To make matters worse, this is typically the province's busiest month for wildfires.
Before August even began, there had been 1,600 wildfires this year, burning more than 1.5 million hectares of land.
"It's been an unforgettable year and it's not over, yet," said Erika Berg, provincial wildfire information officer at BC Wildfire Service, in an interview with Mia Gordon, a video journalist at The Weather Network.
"It's been unprecedented in the way of an early start [with] the amount of area burned, the amount of fire on the landscape [and the] devastating losses in the wildfire community."
Thumbnail courtesy of BC Wildfire Service/Twitter.
