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Rainfall, drought and wildfires by the numbers in British Columbia

British Columbia should be well into its rainy season, but instead persistent hot and dry weather has created drought conditions. Here are some of the numbers connected with the drought:
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Luisa Weiskopf, visiting from Germany, takes advantage of a warm afternoon to sit in the sun and enjoy a book at Nanaimo’s Westwood Lake Park Thursday, Sept. 29. (Chris Bush/ News Bulletin)

British Columbia should be well into its rainy season, but instead persistent hot and dry weather has created drought conditions. Here are some of the numbers connected with the drought:

Recorded rainfall between July and Oct. 14, compared with average rainfall:

Vancouver: Current 16 mm. Average 165 mm

Victoria: Current 2 mm. Average 100 mm

Abbotsford: Current 10 mm. Average 222 mm

Chilliwack: Current 8 mm. Average 245 mm

Drought levels

The B.C. government ranks drought levels from 0 to 5, with a 5 rating being the most severe with adverse effects to socio-economic or ecosystem values being almost certain.

5: All regions of Vancouver Island, Sunshine Coast, Lower Mainland, Fort Nelson, north, south and east Peace regions.

4: Central Coast, Haida Gwaii, eastern Pacific Range and Kettle.

Wildfires

199: wildfires still burning in B.C.

9: new wildfires sparked since Wednesday.

21.1: The percentage of wildfires that remain out of control.

Temperatures:

More than 150 maximum daytime temperature records were broken across British Columbia in September.

21.6 C: The high temperature on Oct. 13 in Victoria, 7 C above seasonal average.

22 C: The high temperature on Oct. 13 in Dawson Creek, 12 C above seasonal average.

— The Canadian Press