Canada could see the year's first recorded 40°C reading on Monday afternoon
Parts of Canada are set to experience a scorching start to the week, with temperatures expected to reach 40°C.
Although it might feel that hot in some areas, Canada hasn’t reached that temperature mark in 2023 yet. But that could change.
“A few places have come perilously close to the symbolic 40-degree mark this summer, but nobody in Canada has seen this symbolic heat milestone so far in 2023,” reads a report by The Weather Network.
It’s going to be so hot on Monday in parts of Western Canada due to a high-pressure ridge building over the region that Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has issued a heat warning.
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From Monday until Wednesday, Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, and Whistler could see “well above seasonal daytime temperatures.”
So exactly how hot is it?
According to ECCC, the average high in Vancouver for this time of the year is 22.1°C, and the highest recorded temperature was in 2010 when temperatures reached 28.6°C.
What makes this heat wave unusual is that it won’t be dry heat.
“We’ll see some Pacific moisture lingering in the region as temperatures climb, which will make it feel unusually muggy for the duration of this heat event,” stated The Weather Network.
And temperatures could reach well over the 40°C in the southern interior of BC and Osoyoos, where the maximum temperature is expected to reach 41°C (and feel like 43°C) on Tuesday.
Luckily, the numbers should start to drop over the week as the ridge flattens, with cooler seasonal temperatures expected by the weekend.
So far, the warmest temperature recorded in Canada this year was in Etzicom, Alberta, where it reached a sweltering 39.8°C.
People are being urged to watch out for the effects of heat illness, such as swelling, rash, cramps, fainting, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and the worsening of some health conditions.
Check here for more information on how you can protect yourself and others.
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