Vancouver in May!!! You couldn't have picked a better month to arrive. I think Vancouver is at its prettiest in Springtime. LOTS of spring bulbs (daffodils, tulips, croccus) start coming up in mid-March and the flowering cherry trees line the streets shortly after. We have been likened to Japan for the flowering cherry trees! Weather in spring changes frequently from sunny to showery and the air is soft. Summer comes anytime from the end of May with the hottest, sunniest stretch from mid-July to mid-August (traditionally the last two weeks of August can be wet). Fall slips in with cooler mornings and evenings, but the sun still holds a reminder of the summer warmth. Late September leaves on the deciduous trees begin to turn from green to yellow, orange, flaming red and finally brown and get whipped to the ground with the strong winds and rains of October and November. The North Shore mountains are usually cloaked in white from mid-November until the end of May and on a clear day they look incredible against the blue sky! If we have a hard winter (like we did two years ago) the snow can come in early December and last for a month or more. Most years the weather warms up and snow turns to rain and washes away the slush a number of times until April. This winter has been easy so far. Already the daffodil and hyacinth bulbs are up several inches in the gardens and fat buds are on the rhododendron bushes. It will be 10 C today.
I read of so many who would like to come to Vancouver, but think it is too expensive compared to other parts of Canada. That is probably true right in Vancouver, but look at other places outside the city and other parts of BC. For example, Prince George is in central BC and their weather is more like eastern Canada at times, although today they have a chance of flurries and a high of 3C. They are working to enhance population growth in their city. Check out what they and other smaller cities have to offer.
And finally.....check out VANCOUVER DAILY PHOTO online. You will feel instantly connected to the weather and culture of our beautiful city.