Warmer weather on the way for Metro Van, with temperatures set to top 20 degrees

After what’s been a cooler and wetter spring, the weather is about to turn around for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

CityNews Meteorologist Michael Kuss says the region is about to get a blast of warmer weather.

“Even though the warm weather isn’t super long lasting, we’re going to be up there in record-setting territory, especially in the Valley,” he explained.

He says the record high at Vancouver International Airport for April 28 is 21.7°C. The record for April 29 is 27.4°C, set back in 1998.

While he doesn’t think we’ll see records fall at YVR, some areas may experience new highs.

“The record for Friday is 24.4°C in Abbotsford from 1957 — that’s probably going to go down,” Kuss said.

The warmer weather may be a welcome change for many, after a stretch of cooler-than-normal temperatures and ongoing rain and drizzle.

Kuss says the mercury has been about 2°C below average across the South Coast over the past month.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen this kind of heat — we have to go back more than six months, six and a half months almost, we have to go back to Oct. 16 to see a day above 20°C at YVR. The last time it topped 25°C in Abbotsford, it was also on Oct. 16,” he said.

“All we need is two, three days where we see temperatures soaring and we get closer to normal.”

However, you may not want to pack away your jackets just yet. Kuss says cooler temperatures are expected to return — at least for a little bit.

“Even with that heat over the next couple of days, I still suspect we will finish April on a below-average, cooler-than-normal note.”