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British Columbia is in for a rare summer treat this weekend. After weeks of hot, dry conditions, the southern coast is expected to see the most rain its had in months. But will it be enough to improve the impacts of a season's worth of drought?

Weekend to bring most rain in months to B.C.


Katie Jones
Digital Reporter

Sunday, July 26, 2015, 12:18 PM - British Columbia is in for a rare summer treat this weekend. After weeks of hot, dry conditions, the southern coast is expected to see the most rain its had in months. But will it be enough to improve the impacts of a season's worth of drought?

A long trend of hot, summer days came to an end on Friday, when light showers began in Metro Vancouver and surrounding areas, and temperatures cooled.

After a brief reprieve on Saturday, the rain picked up again early Sunday.

As of Sunday morning, 12 millimetres of rain has been recorded at Vancouver International Airport.

Special weather statements are in place along the southern coast, including Vancouver, due to the forecast for heavy downpours and thunderstorms on Sunday.

Brief yet heavy rain is expected by the afternoon hours, with amounts between 10 and 15 mm locally. Heavier amounts are expected at higher elevations, including coastal mountain areas and parts of Vancouver Island.

Isolated, non-severe thunderstorms have the potential to produce small, pea-sized hail.

Cloudy skies will remain in place on Monday. By Tuesday, conditions will clear and temperatures will rise above seasonal, beginning another long stretch of sunny summer weather heading into next weekend.

But the weekend of wet weather will not be enough to relieve the province from drought-like conditions.

With city reservoir levels just below 70 per cent, officials say it would take at least 150 millimetres to restore levels to full capacity -- equal to about two months of rain.

The savage drought parching the region is the most severe it has ever experienced, according to Metro Vancouver chair Greg Moore. In one hundred years of monitoring water, the region has never recorded a drought as bad as this year.

Earlier this week, Metro Vancouver issued Stage 3 water restrictions. Residents have been ordered to quit watering their lawns or face a $250 fine. According to records, the region has not declared Stage 3 restrictions on water use since the summer of 2003.

As rare as this summer's drought may seem where the record books are concerned, it comes as no surprise to one local watershed management expert.

Hans Schreier from the University of British Columbia says the province's track record on water conservation is terrible, and claims Canadians are the second-highest users of water in the world after the United States. Schreier believes water-saving technology such as low-flush toilets and smart water meters would make the region more proactive.

Source: Canadian Press

RELATED VIDEO BELOW: Western Canada Drought

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