A look at the traveller’s weather forecast for the May long weekend

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – This long weekend marks the unofficial start to the summer travel season.

We asked News1130 Meteorologist Russ Lacate about what kind of weather we can expect in some of the popular travel spots for people heading out of the Lower Mainland.

Southern Interior

Unfortunately, Russ says things aren’t looking great if you’re headed to the Southern Interior. “It’s been raining in Kelowna, there was rain in Lytton in the Fraser Canyon, there’s some awfully big ominous cloud build-ups all around the Southern Interior.”

“I’ve got some thunderstorms in today’s forecast. They’re in there tonight and they’re in there for Saturday and Sunday, as well. There’s a very unstable air mass across the Southern Interior. It won’t be a complete rain-out, but the potential for occasional downpours is there,” he adds.

“It’ll be part sun and part thunderstorms for the Southern Interior for about the next 48 hours. The holiday Monday, you get a chance to come up for air; it looks pretty good. If you’re extending your long weekend into next week, it looks wonderful, sunny, and warmer into Tuesday and Wednesday.”

Vancouver Island

Russ tells us it’s a cloudy start to the long weekend on the Island.

“There are already clouds completely smothering the West Coast. So, if your destination is Tofino, you’re sort of driving into the fog and low cloud this morning. Even over the central part of the Island, moving over towards Courtenay, Comox, and maybe Nanaimo, there may be a shower or a passing thundershower as early as this afternoon,” he tells us.

But Russ notes says things should improve by tomorrow afternoon.

“Almost all of the clouds and the showers will pull further offshore. So, we’ve left some extra sun in the Island forecast; it’s in there for Saturday afternoon and during the day Sunday. Yet, everything turns around… by the holiday Monday, more clouds swoop across the Strait of Georgia. We’ll probably have some showers around Victoria on Monday.”

Seattle

If you’re headed south of the line into the Seattle area, Russ says things aren’t looking too bad there.

“That’s probably one of the safest places to be. The high pressure ridge has developed over Northern California and is moving through Oregon and parts of Washington State. So, around these parts, although the weather is going to deteriorate a little bit for the start of the long weekend, I think it’ll be okay in Washington State.”

“A few extra clouds today, not a bad day tomorrow, and you’ll be looking at an increasing chance of showers later Sunday into the holiday Monday because that’s around the same time frame, that the unsettled weather will be departing our region,” he explains.

Staying close to home?

Russ says today’s forecast includes more cloud and less sun, though we should get up to a high of 20 degrees.

“For tonight and tomorrow, a chance of a thunderstorm creeps into the forecast and your Saturday high is only 16. Showers gradually diminish on Sunday, and we’re looking at some sunny periods by Monday and 18 degrees,” he adds.

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