The last week of November has been dark, damp, gloomy and — apparently — balmy.
Environment Canada says B.C. saw temperature records broken or tied in seven communities around the province on Tuesday.
The records were set as an “atmospheric river” descended on the province, bringing wind and large amounts of rainfall.
Atmospheric rivers are “relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere – like rivers in the sky – that transport most of the water vapour outside of the tropics,” according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Environment Canada says a warm air mass settled over the province in the wake of the atmospheric river, resulting in some long-held temperature records tumbling.
Abbotsford saw the mercury hit a toasty 16.6 C, breaking a 2011 record of 15.1 set in 2011.
In Pitt Meadows, temperatures hit 14.9 C, breaking an 86-year-old record, while in Gibsons and Sechelt, a 2011 record fell when temperatures hit 14 C.
WATCH (Aired Nov. 27) Heavy rain causes flooding in Metro Vancouver
The Vancouver International Airport also saw a temperature of 14 C, breaking a 2014 record.
Puntzi Mountain in the Chilcotin and Williams Lake also set records, with the mercury topping at 8.3 C and 8 C respectively. The Williams Lake record was 38 years old.
The storm system also pounded the Lower Mainland with rain.
Mount Strachan on the North Shore saw more than 226 millimetres of rain, while Squamish got more than 136 millimetres, Agassiz saw more than 84 millimetres, and the Vancouver airport saw more than 60 millimetres.
Comments