The BC Wildfire season dominated the summer headlines in Prince George.
It was as dry as a bone in the northern capital for the second consecutive year as only received 100 millimetres of rain compared to 176 during the warm season, which was the fifth driest on record.
For as hot as it was, it was equally as smoky according to Environment Canada Meteorologist Matt McDonald.
“If we look at the number of hours with smoke, it was the second smokiest on record going back to the 1980s. In 2017, it was smokier with 360 hours of smoke and this year we topped the charts at 249.”
“Once those air quality advisories went into effect in mid-July they stayed into effect until the very beginning of September.”
Prince George also recorded its driest August on record since 1943 with only eight millimetres of rain.
With summer now in the rearview mirror, Prince George now shifts its focus to the fall.
After a cool couple weeks, more sunshine and seasonal temperatures are on the horizon this week with daily marks in the high teens as we conclude September.
The seasonal outlook for the fall and winter months isn’t looking too shabby.
“The Pacific (Ocean) is a little bit warmer than normal and that’s going to help drive a warmer than normal fall, looking a little bit beyond that as we get into the winter season, the contrast from the previous two were La Nina winters (colder than normal) we’re looking at a weak El Nino and we should see warmer than normal conditions.”
Overnight lows in Prince George could dip into the minuses by the end of the week.