Warm temperatures swept across British Columbia, setting new daily temperature records in at least 24 locations over the weekend, with many areas surpassing 30 degrees Celsius. Pemberton reached 32 degrees Celsius on Sunday, breaking a record set nearly 70 years ago. Other regions in the B.C. Interior, such as Osoyoos, Lillooet, and Cache Creek, also experienced temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. Squamish in the Sea-to-Sky region north of Metro Vancouver came close to joining them with a high of 29.9 degrees Celsius.
Victoria’s harbourfront saw temperatures nearing 27 degrees Celsius, surpassing a record dating back to 1898. Bella Bella recorded 26.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday, smashing a previous record set on the same day.
Meteorologist Bobby Sekhon from Environment Canada attributed the exceptional warmth to a high-pressure system from the Pacific Ocean affecting southwestern B.C., including Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Sekhon noted that temperatures were 5 to 10 degrees above normal, with locations like Abbotsford forecasted to be 13 degrees above normal. The current hot weather was described as the peak of the heatwave.
Sekhon mentioned that temperatures would gradually decrease in the coming days, returning to normal levels by Friday before rising again over the weekend. The B.C. River Forecast Centre issued a high streamflow advisory for parts of the northern Interior due to accelerated snowmelt rates caused by the high temperatures. The B.C. Wildfire Service warned of an increased risk of wildfires due to the above-seasonal temperatures, with nearly 30 active wildfires in the province as of late Monday afternoon, including about 10 new fires within the last 24 hours.