Shifting weather patterns will bring rain and cooler temperatures to South Coast

Vancouver and therest of the South Coast will finally see a reprieve from the heat, humidity and smoky air that's been blanketing much of the area recently but it's not expected to last long.

CBC Vancouver meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe says the good news for Metro Vancouver is that winds will stir up the stagnant pool of pollutants and improve air quality and visibility.

"We should start seeing the smoke clear Friday night with southerly winds and it looks like conditions may stay mainly clear of smoke through early next week," said Wagstaffe.

Saturday will see a high of 23 C and the mercury will continue to drop to 20 C on Sundaywith the rain ending Sunday evening.

The actual front will hit the North Coast Saturdaymorning and slide down to the South Coast by the afternoon and evening,bringing five to10 millimetresof precipitation.

Weather's double-edged sword

Rain is expected for the southern interior later on Sunday but some locations will only be getting a few sprinkles.

"It's a bit of a doubled-edged sword because shifting winds will help clear out the smoke for the South Coast, but strong winds could be a big problem for existing fires,"said Wagstaffe.

She predicts the rain accumulation won't be enough to put out any of the fires and says expectedwinds may worsen the situation.

"The air quality relief will probably be brief in the Interior.Wind flow will be westerly, and, unfortunately, very strong Saturday afternoon, which will pose a large threat to current fires burning."

Although the rain isn't expected to last for Vancouver and the rest of the South Coast the cooler temperaturesare.

Daytime highs will be in the low 20s all next weekand overnights will bein the very bearable low teens.