At last, some sunshine for Metro Vancouver as long weekend nears Victoria, sunshine, weather, rain, long

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At last, some sunshine for Metro Vancouver as long weekend nears



METRO VANCOUVER -- Finally, after enduring months of cold weather, grey skies and rain, Metro Vancouver residents will have some respite heading into the Victoria Day long weekend.

Expect outdoor patios to be packed this week with sunseekers wearing their shades, as Environment Canada says there will be plenty of sunshine and warmer temperatures beginning today, continuing Thursday and lasting throughout most of the weekend.

If you're planning to get a jump start on the weekend, Friday looks like it will be the warmest day this week, with temperatures as high as 19C for most areas and up to 24C inland, according to the federal weather agency.

But don't worry if you can't leave work early; the rest of the weekend looks good too.

Forecasters predict a mix of sun and cloud for Saturday and Sunday with highs of 16C and 18C, respectively.

That's a significant spike in temperature, considering Metro Vancouver has had such a miserable cold spring.

April was the third coldest on record with a mean temperature of 7C, two degrees below average.

The cold weather then continued into the first two weeks of May with a mean temperature of about 10, two degrees colder than the normal 12C for the month.

"We've already seen our average monthly rainfall in the first two weeks," said David Jones, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.

May has already had 50.2 millimetres of rainfall at the Vancouver International Airport, compared with 54 for the whole month last year. April also saw more rain with 95.6 millimetres, up from 88 in 2010.

Although the forecast looks good for the weekend, Jones said the weather could change late Sunday or Monday.

He said there is a cold pool of air headed toward the southwest coast towards the end of the weekend.

"The computer models show a low-pressure system southwest of Tofino which would give us some showers on the west coast on Monday," he said.

"But it's a pretty weak system and there's not a super high confidence in it right now. It's not even mentioned in the forecast."

The current forecast is calling for sunshine with some clouds on Monday and a high of 18C.

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The warmer weather is welcome news for outdoor enthusiasts and swimmers as some of the city's outdoor pools open this weekend. The pools at Second Beach and Kitsilano open Saturday, marking Vancouver's official start of summer.

Meanwhile, from this weekend to Labour Day, lifeguards will be on duty at city beaches and rangers will be working in parks.

In a news release Tuesday, park board officials reminded residents and visitors that smoking is banned on all beaches and parks in Vancouver.

May also signals the opening of some of the region's popular bike parks. Despite a huge snowfall this year, the Whistler Mountain Bike Park will be the first bike park to open in B.C., with its A-Line and rider favourite Crank It Up trails opening on Friday.

Riders can enter to win a season pass at six of B.C.'s bike parks, $1,000 spending money, two nights accommodation at each resort, rig rentals, a half-day with a guide and two lift tickets at each park for the winner's riding buddy to be used over the 2011 summer season.

To enter visit www.bikeparksbc.com and answer the question: "What would you blow off to win the ultimate summer of freeride?"


Katie Oslie (L) and Kylie Ellson enjoy the sun and beach during the warm weather at English Bay in Vancouver, B.C. May 17, 2011.