Lifestyle: west coast winter?

Self-tutoring about winter living on the west coast: the tutor reflects…

When I arrived in Victoria in December ’86, we didn’t have winter – just rain. I think in ’89 we had a cold snap, but in general, down in Vic, we didn’t have winter. I left Victoria in ’95, for Campbell River.

Campbell River wasn’t so mild as Vic, but still, from a Maritimer’s perspective, we didn’t usually have winter here, either – in the 90s, anyway. Instead, we had weeks of rain and mist, punctuated by the occasional sunny day. A cold day happened once in a while, but seldom were we in snow. That’s my recollection.

Yet, my kids (17 and 19) both believe we do have winter here. They remember many years when snow lay in piles along the driveway and persisted for weeks. I have to agree with them: since around 2002, something has changed.

I will point out, parallel to this, that our summers here seem hotter than they used to be as well. Last summer, and also the one in 2017, are examples.

Is our mild climate here on the west coast becoming less so, with colder, snowier winters but hotter summers as well? It’s hard to tell, so far. However, when your kids describe a season differently from what you recall before they were born, that means something.