The BC Wildfire Service continues to respond to elevated fire activity in the northeast corner of the province. In addition, the organization remains on standby for flood support operations and has deployed a 16-person incident management team and several structure protection resources to Alberta.

An unseasonably strong ridge of high pressure will build over British Columbia beginning Friday and persist through the weekend. This will mean summer-like conditions with temperatures forecast to be several degrees above seasonal normals, likely breaking temperature records for mid-May.

Watch BC Wildfire Service Superintendent of Predictive Services, Neal McLoughlin provide an update on what this weather will mean for wildfire conditions across the province, including areas of particular concern in the northeast.

Weather forecast

The upper ridge starts to gain momentum today with temperatures pushing upward through all areas with relative humidity values falling. Light and variable winds in most areas with occasional gustiness, and convective potential moving east, could see clusters of storms in the Peace region.

Daytime maximum temperatures are expected to reach into the low to mid 30s over the Southern Interior while highs across the Central and Northern Interior will approach the high 20s or low 30s. 

The ridge is forecast to persist well into next week delivering several consecutive days of hot, dry weather. While there remains uncertainty with the eventual dissipation of the ridge, current forecast models are indicating a shift to a cooler and more unsettled pattern near the end of next week, around Thursday May 18.