Sunday Afternoon temperatures - Temperatures over 30ºC in Port Alberni and other regions.
Be Thankful it's May and we're on the Ocean
Western Canada is about to experience another Heat Dome. It is of the same type of extreme, can-only-happen-with-climate-change, event as the Heat Dome of June 2021 but because it is shifted further East, entering over Alberta, and is occurring in May, Port Alberni will not see the extreme temperatures and the areas that do see them will not suffer quite as badly as if it happened closer to the summer months.
However, it is *huge*. At it’s strongest, the dome is forecast to stretch diagonally from Central BC through Alberta and Southern Saskatchewan down into Montana and the Dakotas.
Here is a succinct explanation and GIF from weather and climate scientist:
Remarkable!! All areas in magenta indicate a record breaking mid-upper level (500mb) ridge by the weekend. This is an immense heat dome maxing out at 4.2 standard deviations (sigma) from the mean. A ridge magnitude on par with June 2021🧵 pic.twitter.com/wobctbjjHR
— Jeff Berardelli (@WeatherProf) May 10, 2023
I would recommend reading his full thread, but the bottomline, as was from studies of the 2021 Heat Dome is this: “it was basically impossible without climate change. That heatwave was found to be a 1-in-1000 year event in TODAY’S climate… and 150X less likely in preindustrial times. Do the math on that…”
What to Expect in Port Alberni - Hot Mother's Day
The heat will begin to rise on Saturday and into Sunday and Monday. The red areas below
The heat moves East on Tuesday and will concentrate on the BC Interior. (I’m heading to Kamloops on Sunday until Thursday, so that might be interesting.)
May Long Weekend
It looks like things moderate a little by May Long Weekend but it’s hard to say at this point. The UWash model is acting a little weird with the long range but the Canadian model shows temperatures in the high-teens to mid-twenties for the long weekend.
Nuu-cha-nulth Translations on Front Page
If you go to the front page of Alberniweather.ca you’ll see a little bit of tweaking of the format but also a new text forecast which includes some translations. If you have any questions or suggestions or would like to help add more words to the translations, please do get in touch! 🙂
I will add the new forecast to the post pages as well in the coming days.
AI Generated Stuff?
A plugin that I use for the Theme of this blog recently announced it has a a new “AI” feature. I can “write with AI”. So I tried it by giving it the sentence. “According to the latest weather forecast, Western Canada is set to endure yet another Heat Dome” and clicked “Make it Longer”.
This is what it produced:
According to the latest weather forecast, Western Canada is set to endure yet another Heat Dome. The Heat Dome is an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs when a high pressure system traps hot air underneath it, causing temperatures to rise to record-breaking levels. This type of weather can be extremely dangerous, posing a significant health risk to residents in the affected areas. It is important that individuals take necessary precautions to stay safe during this time, such as staying hydrated, avoiding prolonged exposure to the sun, and seeking shelter in air-conditioned environments when possible. It is also important to be mindful of vulnerable members of the community, including the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, and to monitor any heat-related symptoms that may arise. We urge everyone to stay informed and stay safe during this period of extreme heat.
It’s not wrong… but I think I’ll avoid it. Have a great Wednesday!
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