Back-to-school season is in full swing, but the forecast for the next week is a reminder that summer isn't over just yet.
Environment Canada is warning of a prolonged period of hot weather heading toward the South Coast. The weather agency issued a special weather statement on Tuesday, forecasting highs in the low 30s in the next few days.
"There's not a scientific definition when it comes to heat waves," Environment Canada meteorologist Matt MacDonald told CTV News.
"We typically look at it as four-to-five days in a row above 30 C temperatures here on the coast, and we're going to be reaching that."
The surge in temperature will hit the Lower Mainland thanks to a ridge of high pressure building along the coast. The weather system is allowing warm air from the western U.S. to move northwards, passing the border.
The statement forecasts that the mercury will peak on Thursday, with afternoon highs above 32 C inland. Along the water, the temperature will be closer to 25, but may feel warmer with the humidity.
Environment Canada predicts that temperatures should dip by a few degrees starting Friday, but that higher-than-normal temperatures will likely last until the middle of next week.
Although the forecast will likely change as the air mass shifts, at the time of the statement Environment Canada predicted a high of 22 on Wednesday, feeling like 26 with the humidex. Inland, the high is 28, but will feel warmer with the humidity.
Thursday it will be sunny and 25, but inland it may reach 33. Friday, the high should stay at 25, but inland the temperature may dip by one degree to 32, according to the forecast. Over the weekend, the weather agency expects similar temperatures of 25 to 26, with a high of 31 inland.
The seasonal norm for this time of year is a high of 22, but a temperature of 30 C was recorded at the Vancouver International Airport on Aug. 16, 1967.
The summer has been a weather roller-coaster for Metro Vancouver residents, who faced a chilly June, mix of rain and sun in July and feared a cold August after the second day of the month broke a record.
But now the previously-dreary forecast has flipped, so much so that campers have been warned against bonfires for the next few days.
The campfire ban begins Wednesday at noon, and covers the Sunshine Coast, Pemberton, the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Penny Daflos
