Last month was the driest May in West Kootenay since 2007 and the warmest since 1998.
According to a roundup of statistics by forecaster Ron Lakeman at the Southeast Fire Centre in Castlegar, the monthly rainfall was only 55 per cent of normal, and 77 per cent of the 38.5 mm we received fell between the night of the 24th and morning of the 31st. The least precipitation on record for the month is 17 mm in 1970.
The average monthly temperature was 1.9 degrees warmer than normal.
“An upper ridge of high pressure was the dominant feature for dry, fairly sunny and at times very warm conditions during the initial 24 days of the month,” Lakeman said. “Showers and thundershowers were more prevalent during the final week of the month as a few Pacific disturbances pushed across southeastern BC.”
Record daily high temperatures of 27.9, 30.3, and 31.7 degrees were set on three consecutive days: the 20th, 21st, and 22nd. That fell short of the highest temperature ever recorded for the month of 34.5 degrees on May 18, 2006.