Rain puddles are in high supply in the Nanaimo area following an exceptionally wet September. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Rainy month

Nanaimo drenched by wet September, extreme seasonal weather continues

Oct 4, 2021 | 5:33 AM

NANAIMO — When it rains it pours.

Environment Canada meteorologist Lisa Erven said the hot and dry summer came to an abrupt end when the calendar to September, leading to consistent and steady rain locally.

“It drastically shifted into a very wet September for Nanaimo, we saw 322 per cent of our normal precipitation, making it the ninth wettest September for the city.”

Environment Canada record-keeping dates back to 1892.

A staggering 115 mm of rain fell in September, far surpassing the average of 36 mm of rain that typically falls at Nanaimo Airport.

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In comparison, Environment Canada data showed only 45 mm of rain fell in June, July and August in the Harbour City, which was also the hottest summer ever recorded locally.

“The September precipitation is really the result of a very active, persistent storm pattern hitting coastal B.C., so this isn’t just a story for Nanaimo,” Erven said.

The scorching hot summer followed the fourth driest spring Nanaimo has ever seen.

Erven said over roughly the past decade extreme seasonal weather conditions have become commonplace.

“We’ve seen this trend toward getting stuck in these persistent patterns, whether that’s persistent heat and drought or persistent wet conditions,” Erven said.

Long range forecasting in the fall is difficult, Erven said, citing dynamic conditions that are hard to pin down beyond a short-range outlook.

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