Severe storm risk, shifting smoke across B.C. on Friday
Residents across southern B.C. will have to watch for thunderstorms and smoke through the day Friday
A busy day is on tap for southern British Columbia as thunderstorms and shifting smoke push across parts of the region with a pattern change arriving on the West Coast.
Dense smoke will cause very poor air quality throughout the Interior, while communities near the coast deal with a risk for strong to severe storms. Dry lightning will also pose a hazard in some areas.
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Shifting smoke through the day Friday
British Columbia is transitioning from a persistently hot and dry pattern to one that’ll bring opportunities for rain and a shift in wind directions.
Additional widespread rain in the south and east on Friday should help to improve air quality values for the Kootenay.
Meanwhile, smoke will become more dense through the remainder of Thursday into Friday as a northerly off-shore flow pushes into the region. Expect a low to moderate health risk in the Lower Mainland, with improving conditions in and around Vancouver.
A wind shift arriving Friday evening will push smoke out of the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island back toward the B.C. Interior. Air quality will steadily worsen through the day for communities like Kelowna and Osoyoos, with very poor readings expected by Friday evening.
This shift won’t stick around long as another warm and dry ridge of high pressure is expected to build across the province again next week.
Severe storm threat builds for southwestern B.C.
The same pattern bringing a wind shift to southern B.C. will also spark a risk for scattered thunderstorms throughout the region.
Some of the thunderstorms may turn severe across portions of Vancouver Island and the Coast Mountains, including Comox and Port Hardy. The strongest storms here could produce heavy rainfall and small hail.
Elsewhere, dry lightning may threaten additional wildfire starts on Friday.
Stay with The Weather Network for all the latest on conditions across B.C.