"Are Vancouver summers cold?"

An odd question to post on my blog, no doubt, but strangely it's one of the top Google search inquiries that leads people to my blog. So why not devote a whole post to it? There's obviously enough demand for the answer!

Are Vancouver summers cold?

In a word, no.

In more words, it depends.

It depends on your definition of cold. It's all relative, isn't it? A summer in Vancouver is going to be colder than spending a summer in Tahiti, Cuba, Sri Lanka or Colombia... but that doesn't make Vancouver's summer cold. Or does it? Vancouver's summer is rarely scorching, but it's typically not defined as being "cold".

Here are the more common terms used to describe a Vancouver summer:

Pleasant.
Comfortable.
Warm.
Beautiful.
Perfect.

Vancouver's summers (and summer is tradionally thought of as June, July, August, and September here, by the way) are for the most part in the low to mid 20's Celsius range (which is 68 to 77 Fahrenheit, apparently). Occasionally there will be a day or two where it can reach in the low 30's Celsius range (which is low 90's Fahrenheit), but those are rare, but do occur in July and August.

Sure, those temperatures are going to be colder than some place like Death Valley where there's a constant 40 Celsius/100 Fahrenheit range throughout the summer. Or they're going to be colder than some place like Toronto which might get more humidity and heat in the summer months. But that doesn't make it cold. What it does mean is that you're not suffering through the summer in Vancouver. You're not dependent upon air conditioning. You're not cooping yourself indoors to avoid heatstroke or humidity. You can actually be outside and enjoy it.

"But what about all that Vancouver rain?", you ask.

We don't get much rain in the summer. Sunshine is not as elusive in the summer as it would be in the winter months. In fact, there's so much sunshine in Vancouver in the summer, that it often causes droughts, where water restrictions come into play.

"And in a rainforest zone?" you ask.

It's true.

Vancouver's summers are beautiful. It's when the city truly shines. It's when people break out into summer dresses and t-shirts and shorts and sandals and go swimming in outdoor pools and hang out all day and night at the beach and get sunburns if not protected...

That's a Vancouver summer.

So are Vancouver summers cold?

In a word, no...




... and man, am I ever looking forward to summer!

Sunny Monday

And yet another day of spring-like temperatures and weather for Vancouver. 8 degrees C (46 degrees F) and sunshine. Winter Olympics? Not here! Spring Olympics is more like it.

Starting off February with the same old

Yes Vancouver, you have winters of endless overcast skies.

What Vancouver winters typically don't have, however, are weeks on end of 9, 10, or 11 degree Celsius (45-50 Fahrenheit) temperatures, or spring flowers blooming in January.

Check out the weather forecast for the next four days:


Vancouver skipped past January and February and went straight into our typical March and April weather.

On travel forums, people from supposed "warmer" countries are concerned about dressing warm enough for Vancouver during the Olympics.

Yes, dress for warmth.

Bring your t-shirts, your jeans, and your hoodies. Save your swimsuits and shorts.

Meanwhile, I spoke to a woman today who went without power for 4 days due to an icestorm in her home state of Oklahoma.

Back in Vancouver, Cypress Mountain has lost all its snow and is looking past Plan B to option Z: helicopter/truck in snow from neighbouring mountains.

What is it? 11 days to go.

11 days to go before the Olympics.

Oh, the irony

You know, the Olympics are happening in 33 days and Vancouver's one of the warmest places in North America right now. Seriously!

Vancouver's currently 10°C or 50°F.

Compare this to:

New York City: -3°C / 27°F
Atlanta: 0°C / 32°F
Orlando: 6°C / 43°F
Denver: -1°C / 30°F
Edmonton: 3°C / 37°F
Calgary: 6°C / 43°F
Minneapolis: -8°C / 17°F
Knoxville: -2°C / 29°F
Dallas: 3°C / 38°F
Boston: -1°C / 30°F
Cleveland: -7°C / 19°F
Raleigh: 1°C / 34°F
New Orleans: 3°C / 37°F
Toronto: -4°C / 25°F
Montreal: -6°C / 21°F
Chicago: -8°C / 18°F
San Francisco: 9°C / 48°F

Miami is actually the exact same temperature as Vancouver right now. Phoenix is only slightly warmer at 11°C / 52°F. Los Angeles is only a tad warmer at 15°C / 59°F.

But way to go Vancouver! I can't wait to see how many people arrive next month dressing for the stereotypical Canadian winter.

8 days of sunshine and still counting!

It's what... December 8th (how did that happen?!) and it's still gloriously sunny and dry in Vancouver. Check out this screen capture from KatKam a few moments ago:

This has to be one of the sunniest Decembers so far on record, and it doesn't look like it's stopping any time soon! Check out the Google weather forecast for this week:


Saying that, it's absolutely frigid outside! Any time you have days on end of below zero Celsius (or high 20's Fahrenheit for those of you in the US), it translates into "Vancouver cold spell".

Sure, it's cold enough to snow, but hey... there's a local snow paradox. When it's cold enough to snow in Vancouver, there aren't any clouds. When the clouds come back, the temperatures warm up above freezing and it rains.

I wonder what the weather will be like during the Olympics?

Sunshine in November?

I know.

November + Vancouver = sunshine?

It doesn't make sense!

This morning I woke up to a beautiful blanket of fog downtown. Well, that fog has been clearing way for sun. Just looking at my favourite Vancouver webcam, KatKam, it appears that we're in for a beautiful treat today. Of course, it'll be cold out today (currently it's 4°C, or if you prefer, 39°F), but it'll be sunny!

Since KatKam is consistently updating its images, I figure I'd show you what a November morning looks like in Vancouver when it isn't socked in by clouds!

November Rain

November + Vancouver = Rain

If you're looking for the bleakest, gloomiest, rainiest time to be in Vancouver, drop by for a visit in November. The stats don't lie!



Source: http://www.citystats.ca/city/British-Columbia/Vancouver.html#climate


While we've been having cold temperatures, rain, and overcast skies for the last few days now, this upcoming week is supposed to be particularly brutal in terms of wind and rainfall. Just talking to my Mom on the phone, she said the news is forecasting more rain this week than we've had in the entire month. And when November's the rainiest month out of the entire year, you know it's serious.

Here's the forecast according to Environment Canada:

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/bc-74_metric_e.html

Note the "rainfall warning" and "wind warning" - a clue that the weather's expected to be pretty hairy this week!

Foggy Friday

The rainclouds have turned to fog and have lowered themselves over the city. I love it!

Memoirs of last week's rainbow

It's not everyday you're treated to such a show...

Celebration of Lightning: a recap of Vancouver's summer storm

I thought I would finally post some photos from July 25, 2009.

I'll never forget this day.

It started out as a beautiful Saturday afternoon: clear skies, sunshine, temperatures in the mid 20's Celsius. We picked up BBQ supplies, called up our friends, and all met down at Spanish Banks.

When we set up on the beach it was 4pm and the tide was very low - one of the lowest tides I had seen there in a long time. You could barely even see the people - they were so far out!



We decided to head down to the beach and walk out to the water's edge.











Some of the guys went for a swim...





...it was around then when I looked east and noticed a big dark cloud looming over the city.



Uh-oh.

I knew it had to be raining over there, and we're not talking about a light drizzle. I just crossed my fingers and hoped that it wouldn't make it out our way. I mean, it was still sunny where we were.



Sort of.

I decided to head back. Back through the seaweed and sandbars and salt water channels.



Back at the site, we set up our BBQ and watched as the tide crept back in.





For several hours we enjoyed drinks, food, and one another's company, watching the tide coming in with all the people with it.





And that's when it started to happen.

We first heard the thunder off in the distance, and it was followed by bright flashes. But the lightning was far enough away, out in the mountains and over the city and suburbs, so we continued our BBQ. We continued like this for about half an hour before the rain set in. It was large, luscious drops of rain. It cleared out almost all of Spanish Banks to the point where we were the only ones left.

Strangely, we stayed and basked in it.

We watched the lightning light up the mountains across the water and behind us over the suburbs. We could see it fork down over downtown Vancouver, and we just stood there in awe.

Earlier in the day we had a hard time finding parking and a spot on the beach. And here we were, a few hours later, and the beach was vacant with exception to a few individuals like ourselves, shreiking with joy at the spectacle.

The thunder and lightning storm persisted at a distance, but the sun started to shine beneath the clouds. A rainbow appeared over downtown.



As the sun continued to lower itself under the storm clouds, the most beautiful golden light made the atmosphere absolutely magical.









The event became even more surreal when the sky changed colour, from purple, to orange, to red, all the while white and purple lightning bolts forked out over the mountains, the city, and the suburbs. I never managed to capture the lightning on camera, but I assure you it was divine.


Surreal skies turned apocalyptic red. And it was in the torrential downpour overlooking a now-crimson Burrard Inlet at sunset that we decided it was a perfect time go for a swim!







Foolish, perhaps in retrospect, but it'll definitely be a moment I will never forget.

Brrrr! Winter, is that you?

So last night, after our crazy monsoon/hailstorm (which I didn't actually witness due to being inside a windowless room at work at the time), the clouds cleared up and apparently... apparently, the first dusting of snow arrived on our local mountains.

Great!

Or not so great. Temperatures were a chilly 7 degrees Celsius yesterday evening. You know, where you want to snuggle up to the fireplace and wear a big comfy sweater, where you crave beef stew and things of that nature?

It's all very disorienting considering we were basking in summer up until a week ago.

But so it goes.

This morning at quarter to 7, half of Vancouver was encased in fog - the true sign of autumn in Vancouver, although my car thermometer read 6 degrees Celsius this morning. That's not autumn, that's winter!

So be it.

Like tears in rain

And so the rainy season has begun. I'm sure it'll only last for a week and then it'll be gloriously sunny again for October, but you know the season's changing when you actually keep your sunroof closed on the drive home, and turn on the heat!

But it's not all bad of course. Downtown Vancouver gets all atmospheric and Blade Runner-like this time of year. And so appropriately, Blade Runner was playing on HDNet tonight. I love that movie so much.

Where did September go?

All things considered, September was a spectacular month. I have high hopes for October, although the immediate forecast is for gloomy, cold rain. Temperatures at 11 Celsius I can do without, but it sure makes a good excuse to wear my wool coats again.

Fall fashion FTW.

Summer's back after an unseasonal cold spell

After months of beautiful, gorgeous weather and warmer-than-average temperatures, Vancouver's summer went on summer vacation and October came in to substitute. Typically August is our hottest, sunniest month... but not this August!

No, this August turned into glimpses of cool, breezy, rainy, autumn-like October. "Back to school weather" as I like to call it. You know it's unseasonably cold when you start taking out the alpaca sweaters, jeans, and wool jackets.

But today was the first day where summer came back. I went for a short walk along the seawall to Third Beach and back. Temperatures weren't soaring - it was maybe all of 20 degrees Celsius, but enough for everyone to strip down, pack the beaches, and go for swims. It was ideal summer weather.

This upcoming week is supposed to see temperatures rising once more. I gladly welcome it back!

October in August?

After weeks (okay, months) of non-stop sunshine, and after a week and a bit of a pretty intense heat wave (including tropical humidity and an entire city-wide sell-out of air conditioners and fans) - we're now having October in August.

Seriously.

August is known for heat waves.
August is known for sunshine and warm, summery temperatures.
August is typically the prime of summer in Vancouver.

So what's with the grey skies? What's with the cool temperatures? Why did I break out the autumn jacket and jeans?

Why?

Because the temperature's a measly 16 degrees Celsius outside!

Quite a change considering that a week ago, it was 36 degrees!

While this is a nice break, this appears to be the week's forecast - an unusual cold spell for Vancouver for this time of year. While it won't be popular at the beach, I hope it translates into relief for the hundreds of forest fires choking up British Columbia.

Crazy surreal weather in Vancouver on July 25

I still have yet to post my photos of what happened on July 25 in Vancouver, but to get a sense of what took place on that incredible night, all you have to do is watch these videos:

And yet another record breaking day

So today they just announced that we've consecutively broken the record for the highest temperature recorded in Vancouver, at 34.4 degrees Celsius. Sounds like peanuts if you've experienced California's deserts where it can easily be 44 degrees Celsius, but with this smoggy, tropical humidity, it's pretty insane. Especially since inside my apartment it's also about 34 degrees Celsius.

Massive storm clouds have also appeared over the Coast Mountains, and apparently an hour ago lightning struck on Blackcomb Mountain in Whistler, and there's a forest fire growing exponentially near the peak. Great.

In other news, it's a great day to go to the beach!

Hottest day ever recorded in history

Last night felt like a night in Hong Kong... humid, smoggy, tropical. The air was so thick, you felt like you could swim in it. It actually felt like the warm tropical Carribbean. Soooooo weird to feel that in Vancouver. You basically never feel that kind of humidity and heat combo in Vancouver, ever.

Worth noting is that with exception to shopping malls, hotels, and office buildings, 99% of us that live here do NOT have air conditioning in our homes, so it's forcing everyone outside to the beach, to the local parks, to the swimming pools, to movie theatres, etc. We're completely obsessed with the heat at the moment, it's all anyone can talk about! Sorry Toronto! Sorry Montreal! But it looks like we stole your muggy, smoggy summer!

Yesterday, it turns out, was the hottest day ever recorded in Vancouver's 123 year history, at 33.7 degrees Celsius. But the reality is that the official Vancouver temperate is always taken at the airport, which is actually out by the water on Richmond's Sea Island. But Sea Island is often cooler than Vancouver, so 33.7 degrees was likely at the lower end of the spectrum, I'm sure.

On my way home from work, my bus overheated and broke down on Broadway and Granville. Escaping that tin can sauna, I wandered over to the Mac's convenience store based on the recommendation of my colleague, and filled a monster cup full of cream soda slurpee. I then walked across the Granville Street Bridge. I found the experience strangely satisfying. And it was 4:22pm when I looked across to the big Molson electronic billboard blinking a perpetual 4:22! 33C! 91F!

It feels like Mexico right now...

... it truly does.

Look!


We're in day 5 of this heat wave. I don't think I've ever felt this kind of heat or humidity in Vancouver, ever. I mean, we just don't get humid summers. But this could be August in Montreal right now. This could be Atlanta. This could be the Mayan Riviera. The air is just thick. It's very tropical. All that's missing are piña coladas!

And for those who read temperatures in Fahrenheit, 29 Celsius = 85 Fahrenheit.

With the humidity? It feels like 100 Fahrenheit.

July 25, 2009

July 25th will forever be etched in the minds of those who were lucky enough to be here.

Out of seemingly nowhere, on a hot and humid Saturday afternoon, a rogue thunder and lightning storm ambushed Greater Vancouver for hours and hours. It produced an apocalyptic blood red sunset never seen in this city before and continued to woo the 300,000 people awaiting the Celebration of Light. It was truly a battle of Mother Nature vs. the fireworks, and it was an obvious winner.

I was at Spanish Banks all Saturday, from about 3pm until about 9:30pm (hosting a BBQ with friends) when we witnessed what was the most spectacular natural event I've seen in my 29 years of living here.

My personal experiences and photos of Saturday will be posted in the next few days, but until then, I leave you with this. (Just mute the cheesy music).

What's the weather like in Vancouver right now?

I know I must seem completely obsessive about weather, but it's a Canadian trait I can't seem to shake. And when you work on the phone with Americans each day and they hear you're from Canada, it's almost always the first thing they ask about. "Oh, wow, Canada! What's the weather like there right now? By the way, I've been to Niagara Falls. What a great country you have there. Clean cities. Friendly people."

But when people discover you're in Vancouver - whether they're American, Canadian, or otherwise - if they know anything about the city at all, all they know is that it always rains in Vancouver.

Evidently, this is not always the case.

But as we move further into the year away from March, the rainfall plummets and we get (surprise, surprise), days, if not weeks of sunshine from May until October. I know "weeks of sunshine" must sound funny for people in sunny climates, but so many people actually believe that "it always rains in Vancouver" when this is not the case at all.

We've been having a hot spell in Vancouver with almost humid-like conditions. We've been having weeks of sunshine that they're starting to implement fire bans in the parks as to prevent forest fires. If this situation continues, we're surely going to be in for an early drought season.

So for those wondering "what's the weather going to be like in Vancouver?" evidently, the day to day weather patterns truly vary, so there's no real way to know. Advanced weather forecasts aren't to be trusted. Best guesses are all that we can offer.

Saying that, a quick Google search for "Vancouver weather" brings you the current temperature with the week's forecast, and it's usually accurate. Of course, a visit to Environment Canada is even better.

But if you really want to know what the weather is *right now* real time, I always like to recommend KatKam.

And for those who truly believe it always rains in Vancouver, from a sweltering, sunny, hot and almost-humid Vancouver, I say "nyah nyah". ;)