July 2017 was the driest July ever recorded in Revelstoke, according to Environment Canada.
Only 4.8 millimetres of rain fell in July, said meteorologist Cindy Yu, even less than in 2003, when 7.5 millimetres fell.
2013 is the third driest July on record — the city received 8.2 millimetres of precipitation that year.
Yu said the said the dry weather is a result of the jet stream sending storms further north.
“It’s partly due to the overall weather pattern and where the jet stream is going,” she said. “The polar jet stream is strong over the north, so it has steered weather systems into the northern parts of the province. That’s why we’re seeing a dry weather pattern in the south.”
Pretty much all the rain that fell in Revelstoke came on Thursday, July 20, when three millimetres of rain fell in a few hours that evening.
There is no rain in the forecast for the next seven days, according to Environment Canada. The forecast is for highs in the 30s and sunshine until the weekend, followed by a slightly cooling on Sunday and Monday.
Yu said the weather may start to shift midway through August.
“We’ve seen this weather pattern trying to change,” she said. “There’ a lot of cold air over the Pacific trying to move in, but the weather pattern itself has been very stubborn. There is a potential the weather pattern may change towards the middle of August.”
The Environment Canada forecast on Monday morning shows a chance of rain this weekend.
The fire danger rating is extreme for the area around Revelstoke.