There were record setting temperatures in Quesnel and Williams Lake yesterday. (Thursday)
Brian Proctor, a Meteorologist with Environment Canada, says it was significantly warmer than normal in both communities.
“This time of year for Quesnel our daytime max would be about 20 and overnight lows of about plus 6 so we’re significantly above that The temperature in Quesnel yesterday was recorded at 31.3 degrees beating the old record of 30.0 set in 1934. For Williams Lake the new record yesterday was 30.6 beating the old record of 30.1 set in 2017.”
Proctor says the records for the Quesnel area date back to 1893, and for Williams Lake they go back to 1960.
He says we could see more records today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday) as well.
“The record for today for Quesnel is 32.2 set in 1934. The record for Saturday is 30.7 set in 1981 and Sunday is 31.1 in 1981. And looking at Williams Lake the record for today is 28.2 set in 2017. The record for Saturday is 28 degrees set in 1981 and the record for Sunday is 29.2 set in 1981.”
The forecasted high for today in both communities is 30.
Proctor says we will start to see a shift in the weather near the end of the weekend.
“We’re really seeing the upper ridge that is responsible for this heat lingering over British Columbia for today and tomorrow, and it’s starting to edge ever so slowly eastward on Sunday, and by the time we get into Sunday night and Monday we see a definite change in the pattern, a bit of a more northwesterly flow as the trough settles in, and generally seeing an increased change of clouds in the Sunday night period and cooling temperatures.”
Proctor says we can expect more seasonal daytime highs of around 20 by Monday and Tuesday.
