Sweltering heat led to several records melting away in BC yesterday

As Metro Vancouver and much of the province swelters in the heatwave, we can reflect on the impact the weather is having on BC as numerous weather records were broken yesterday.

Environment Canada’s weather summaries for July 26 suggests that 14 different temperature records melted away over the course of the day across BC thanks to the unending heat, including a few near the Lower Mainland.

Some of the weather records have been in place for over 100 years.

You might also like:
• Another heat warning issued as Vancouver gets hotter than Los Angeles
• Air Quality Advisory issued for parts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley

Closer to Vancouver, weather records in Abbotsford, White Rock, Squamish, and Victoria were smashed.

In Abbotsford, the previous record for warm temperatures was 33.6˚C set in 1998. Yesterday, Abbotsford reached a new record of 35.4˚C. In White Rock, a record of 29.4˚C previously set in 1958 was topped by yesterday’s temperature of 31˚C. Squamish reached a new record of 37.1˚C which was six degrees hotter than the 2018 record of 31.6˚C.

📣📣📣 Be careful in the heat Vancouver. City has activated cooling centres in response to heat warning. See locations and other ways to beat the heat including misting stations, spray parks.. And please check in on our seniors and vulnerable neighbours. ☀️ https://t.co/q6LAYqLMEh

— Sarah Kirby-Yung 楊瑞蘭 (@sarahkirby_yung) July 26, 2022

Over on the Island, Victoria’s previous record for July 26 was 30.5˚C set in 2019. Yesterday Victoria reached a temperature of 31.5˚C.

One of the more interesting records that were broken was in Agassiz, which had a record of 35.6˚C dating all the way back to 1899. Yesterday, the temperature in Agassiz reached a high of 36.5˚C.

Another notable record that was broken was one that was set in Hope over 60 years ago. In 1958, temperatures in Hope reached 36.1˚C. Yesterday the BC town reached 37.9˚C, which was the hottest in the province.

Environment Canada notes that these findings are preliminary and do not constitute a final report.

For the full list, click here.