B.C. forecast: What to expect for the rest of the summer

After record-high temperatures in parts of British Columbia last month, many are wondering what August has in store for the province.

The Weather Network released its forecast for the next month, which calls for temperatures at the beginning of the month to return to the "cooler pattern" that dominated the early days of the summer prior to the heat wave.

The weather agency notes that while periods of warmer weather are expected across B.C. during mid-to-late August, temperatures will not "get as hot as what we have seen during the final week of July."

Meteorologist Brett Anderson of AccuWeather tells CTV News that a quick look at the month of August shows slightly above-normal temperatures and below-normal rainfall for B.C.'s South Coast, while the northern half of the province will see slightly below-normal temperatures with above-normal rainfall.

"I think temperatures are going to average above-normal, probably at least a degree above normal for this month," he says.

Anderson adds that what's happening south of the border is typically a big indicator for what B.C. can expect to see.

"Monsoons across the southwestern United States have been fairly active so far this year," he says. "Usually when we see the monsoon starting to expand itself pretty far north, that's going to mean usually a drier pattern for southern B.C."

Anderson says given these dry conditions, forecasters are seeing below-normal rainfall levels for B.C.'s South Coast over the next month. However, the northern parts of the province can expect to see wetter conditions.

"I also think there will be more thunderstorms for this region than usual," says Anderson. "With the increase in thunderstorms, it's obviously going to increase the wildfire threat there."

But Anderson says he doesn't predict the conditions will spark anything close to what the province saw during last year's devastating wildfire season.

"This fire season has been nothing compared to last year," he says. "This year has been different. Certainly much cooler and cloudier, with more moisture in the air in some of those areas that burned last year."

As for what to expect in September and into the fall, Anderson says it's too early to tell, but an initial look shows near-normal temperatures for the province.

"No unusual heat or anything like that," he says. "We're also leaning towards perhaps above-normal rainfall for southwestern B.C. in the fall."