January 2018 in Vancouver was exceptionally wet

Did it feel like your umbrella got a rather heavy workout in Vancouver last month? There’s a pretty good reason why.

As Global News Meteorologist Mark Madryga explained, “it was a soaking wet January. For the Vancouver Airport, we had 249 millimetres of rainfall in the month, and we had rain on each of the last 16 days of the month as well. No snow was recorded at the Vancouver Airport but total precipitation was the fourth wettest on record, and the records go back to 1937.”

On average, 168 millimetres of rain is recorded at Vancouver International Airport in January.

Higher amounts were record in January 2006 (283 millimetres), 1992 (281 millimetres) and in 1958 (260 millimetres).

Thursday’s forecast for the region called for rain and wet snow at higher elevations.

“In the Fraser Valley,” said Madryga, “rainfall was similar at Abbotsford at 253 millimetres compared to the long term average of 212 millimetres. At Victoria Airport, rainfall totaled a whopping 224 millimetres compared to the average of 143.”

Penticton saw 26 millimetres of rain, double its average, plus another 20 centimetres of snow.