Warm, dry summer forecast for B.C., western Alberta

B.C. and western parts of Alberta can expect above-normal temperatures and less rainfall this summer, according to forecasters with AccuWeather.

"In Vancouver, British Columbia, the combination of high pressure and above-normal sea surface temperatures in the northeast Pacific will lead to a slightly warmer-than-normal summer with reduced chances for rainfall," said the season forecast.

But in the mountains they predict "the combination of increased heat and little rainfall, coupled with the ongoing Pine Bark Beetle infestation, will raise the risk for large wildfires along and west of the Continental Divide."

The opposite conditions are forecast for eastern Canada though, where a dip in the jet stream and record ice on the Great Lakes is expected to bring cooler temperatures from Manitoba to Montreal. In the Maritimes a humid warm summer is expected.

Last month forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said they expect an El Nino pattern to develop in the Pacific Ocean sometime during the summer or fall, suggesting next winter on the West Coast could also be warm.