A significant weather pattern reversal is set to sweep across Canada during the first half of July 2026, according to meteorologists from Environment and Climate Change Canada and The Weather Network.
The month began with extreme heat in the east, as a heat dome pushed feels-like temperatures into the 40s in southern Ontario for Canada Day.
Meanwhile, British Columbia and Alberta experienced cooler, unsettled weather.
Forecasters expect this pattern to flip by mid-July, bringing higher temperatures and dry conditions to the western provinces.
Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada will return to near-normal summer temperatures.
Western Canada to Warm Up
In British Columbia, the initial cooler pattern will rapidly give way to dry and sunny conditions.
Metro Vancouver expects a transition from early July cloudiness into a prolonged dry spell with above-average temperatures.
Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor stated that the upper ridge will bring dry and warm conditions to the Lower Mainland.
Daytime highs will rise from 22°C early in the month to around 24°C or 25°C by mid-July.
“The upper ridge should be sticking around for the first week of July, with drying conditions and warming for higher than normal temperatures with mainly sunny skies,” said Proctor.
Historical data from the Canadian Climate Normals shows Vancouver typically averages an 18.2°C temperature and 34.1 mm of rain in July.
Additional outlook data from the Farmer’s Almanac corroborates a hotter-than-normal summer for southern British Columbia.
Alberta is transitioning out of an exceptionally wet June, which saw Edmonton record 260 millimeters of rainfall by June 28, breaking a 112-year-old monthly record.
The province will start July with cool, unsettled conditions, but typical summer heat is on the horizon.
“As we move through the end of June into the first week of July, it looks like things are going to remain somewhat cool and unsettled for much of the province,” Proctor said.
He added that further into July, conditions are expected to trend warmer than normal, bringing much more typical summer weather.
Severe Weather Risks Remain
The shifting ridge will bring direct relief to wildfire-prone regions in northern British Columbia, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories, which initially received much-needed precipitation.
However, the Great Lakes region faces ongoing threats of severe thunderstorms.
Atlantic Canada starts the month with wet conditions.
The weather agency warned residents to remain vigilant as atmospheric conditions become highly volatile during the peak summer month.
“One thing to keep in mind is that July tends to be our peak month for summer severe weather,” Proctor said.
“It’s really important to keep an eye out on the sky, see what’s going on, and to listen for updated watches and warnings we might be issuing them.”
