Record-setting warm weather set to hit B.C. this weekend

Patio weather has arrived early in Metro Vancouver and across the province.

"There's actually a lot of communities across B.C. that are probably going to set some daily temperature records," said Lisa Ervin, meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

"For the upcoming five days here, we do have a strong range of high pressure. It's bringing a warm air mass from the south."

Metro Vancouver is expected to see highs in the mid-to-high teens, with temperatures warmer inland and on Vancouver Island.

Ervin says most of the province will see a five-to-10-degree increase above normal temperatures this weekend, with a few exceptions.

"For places like Fort St. John, which normally experiences daytime highs around zero or plus-one, our forecasted temperatures are looking at plus-20," said Ervin, adding that wintery weather could return to the region by mid-to-late next week.

People are already embracing the warmer temperatures, with some golf courses fully booked through the weekend.

“We’re starting at about 7:30 in the morning and we’re going 'til about 5 p.m. and we’ve got every single spot filled,” said Chris O'Connell, a pro shop worker with Burnaby Mountain Golf Course.

"When we look at the weather coming up, we knew it was going to be really busy."

O'Connell says in some cases golfers try to arrive before the course opens just to get on.

"Some people are here waiting two, three hours," he said.

The warm weather has also impacted seasonal allergies.

“This year, we’re seeing a lot of cedar and a good number of alder compared to the last few years,” said Daniel Coates, director with the Ottawa-based Aerobiology Research Laboratories.

“Warm weather is something that pollen loves and when it starts to feel the warm weather it wants to release that pollen to create more trees.”

Coates says cedar pollen levels are among the highest he's seen in a decade, adding that birch levels are also expected to spike in the coming weeks.

“The big thing this year was the amount of concentration of pollen was extremely high,” said Coates.

Environment Canada says the warm weather likely won't stick around for long.

“The long-range weather models show the return of much cooler conditions mid-next week,” said Ervin.