Fall weather forecast to arrive on cue as rain, cooler temperatures expected across B.C.

Much of British Columbia will welcome the first week of fall with wet, cool conditions after enduring a summer of drought.

Autumn officially begins at 11:50 p.m. PT on Friday and Environment Canada forecasts show clouds and showers are expected to sweep across B.C.'s South Coast within hours of the equinox.

Extended forecasts from the weather office show heavy rain should arrive Monday and more than 100 millimetres is expected across parts of western Vancouver Island by early Tuesday.

Rainfall elsewhere on the South Coast could range from 30 to about 50 millimetres over the same period.

Vancouver will see highs between 15 and 19 C over the next week, with lows down to 10 C.

Metro Vancouver is still under strict Stage 2 water restrictions, which it says are expected to last until at least Oct. 15. 

Extended forecasts for much of the rest of the province also call for clouds, showers and rain over the coming week. 

Officials have said extended periods of significant rainfall will be needed to ease the drought that has gripped B.C. since last summer.

The B.C. Wildfire Service says crews have taken advantage of cooler, calmer conditions to make headway on several wildfires, including the destructive McDougall Creek blaze near West Kelowna, which is now considered "being held."

The service says just under 400 active fires are burning in the province, with 146 of them still rated as out of control and 147 listed as being held, meaning they are unlikely to spread beyond current containment lines.