Race to grab Canada's first 30 C this year heats up: Who will win?

A pattern change unfolding this week will have half of the country in a long stretch of very dry and unseasonably warm weather.

Canada's first 30-degree reading, which would make it the country's warmest day of the year so far, is up for grabs this weekend. The temperature to beat is 27°C, recorded in Sarnia, Ont., earlier this spring.

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However, Ontario, or other Eastern Canada provinces, will most likely not walk away with the first 30-degree grab.

Those regions will continue to be under a cool, unsettled trough, which will stay in place for the next several days. So, cooler, unsettled weather will take Eastern Canada into Mother's Day weekend.

Instead, this weekend will see the other half of the country get the best shot. The West will be the recipients of the flip, with B.C. next in line to possibly notch Canada's first 30°C reading this year.

It’s not out of the question that at least one community in the province could realistically hit the 30-degree mark on the weekend.

A ridge of high pressure will build in Western Canada this week, deflecting all precipitation into Alaska and the territories around the axis of the ridge.

As a result, the pattern will turn extremely dry for B.C. as temperatures rise, with daytime highs expected to be 10°C to 12°C above normal for this time of year.

The temperatures will be nearing the upper 20s this weekend, with a chance to hit that sweet 30°C spot, most likely in the Interior.

Hot weather has not been uncommon in B.C. this season, with Bella Coola already reaching 25.8°C, making it the hottest day in the province so far. Osoyoos, B.C., will be one of the areas to watch closely for the 30°C on Saturday or Sunday.

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The heat will only serve to dry out many locations that have seen some beneficial rain over the past few weeks. That is not the news they want this early in the wildfire season. But, there is still time to reverse the pattern and get rain in May as needed.

If the pattern plays out as expected, one of the province’s usual hot spots in the Interior may notch the country’s first 30-degree reading during this spell of above-seasonal warmth.

With files from Jaclyn Whittal and Rachel Modestino, meteorologists at The Weather Network, and Nathan Howes, a digital reporter at The Weather Network.