The sun is out, the Splash Park in LeBourdais Park is pumping out a steady stream of water for the little ones, and we’re all sweating away in our work clothes… it’s a heatwave in the Cariboo!
Monday and Tuesday saw temperatures well above 30 degrees Celsius for the second time this summer, after temperatures soared for a week or so in May. The same is expected for today.
It’s just in time for camping season, as the kids prepare for the end of the school year and families take off for weekends of fun.
But if you look up the weather forecast for the week, a little yellow lightning symbol beneath some grey fluffy clouds appears on Thursday. Environment Canada is predicting a 60 per cent of thundershowers, with a high of 21 degrees.
It’s an unsettling symbol, as we think back to around this time last year. One year ago on July 7, dry lightning strikes sparked many of the unprecedented wildfires that burned throughout the region.
It may seem silly to get het up about the weather – we can’t control where or when lightning might strike. And as the saying goes, lightning never strikes the same place twice, so maybe Green Mountain, at least, will be safe from a flash of electrical discharge. (If you Google the saying, you’ll quickly find that storm researchers have dispelled this myth, but let’s take comfort in an old wive’s tale anyway.) But for those of us who sat indoors all summer last year because of the smoke, or – worse – who experienced the devastation of the fires firsthand, it doesn’t seem silly at all.
The good news, however, is that the jagged yellow lightning symbol on Environment Canada’s website comes with some fat blue raindrops, so perhaps we’ll receive a deluge to dampen the storm, which can only be a good thing in dry, hot weather.
And the weather looks set to brighten again after the storm, so Quesnelites will surely still be planning campfires, whether in their backyards or beyond. While we can’t control whether lightning strikes, we do have control over the containment of our campfires, so let’s continue to be vigilant in keeping them small and well managed and, making sure they are put out completely before we head inside.
Human-caused fires are entirely preventable and direct resources away from naturally caused lightning fires. Remember to be extra cautious when burning or in the back country to prevent the number of human-caused wildfire starts. pic.twitter.com/58WC7jd8Tc
— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) June 18, 2018
Campfires are still permitted in the Cariboo, but we never know when the inevitable ban will come down from the province. Make sure to find out any restrictions before you start burning.
It’s difficult not to worry about the possibility of fires, but with the sun shining, the lakes gleaming, and no smoke currently clouding our skies, perhaps we can take a moment to relax and enjoy the beginning of summer.
Quesnel Cariboo Observer