Prince George, B.C. – There has been plenty of rain, and much cooler temperatures throughout the north of B.C, but Environment Canada Meteorologist Matt MacDonald says summer has not abandoned the region.

“Summer has taken a quick hiatus” says Mac Donald, “The ridge of high pressure that we’ve been blessed with since the beginning of summer has taken a temporary break and it’s been replaced by a large, stationary trough of low pressure. A trough typically brings unsettled conditions, lots of showers and   cooler temperatures.”

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel “I think we will have to wait until mid next week   for this upper trough to finally shift on eastward and for the ridge to come back, so you will see a little bit of sun over the next 7 days or so , come next Tuesday or Wednesday I think we will get back into a nice pattern.”

He says it is not unusual for August to have what he calls “showery breaks” but says “Perhaps this one is a little long.”

The three month seasonal forecast issued at the start of August is still calling for a 90% probability of warmer than normal temperatures through to the end of October and MacDonald is confident in that long range prediction “I always emphasize that seasonal forecasts should definitely be taken with a grain of salt, but in a year like this, when we have such a strong climate driver,   that’s this huge pool of warm water off the west coast of Vancouver Island, that’s really warming the atmosphere and the climate models are picking up on that with a warmer than normal end of summer and fall and even into the winter it’s expected to be warmer than normal . ”

He says that warm pool of water, combined with a strengthening El Nino and all climate models agree that warmer than normal temperatures are to continue.

Mac Donald says although there are some showery days ahead, “It’s not all doom and gloom, we will definitely see a return to summer here in mid August.”