As expected, Environment Canada has issued “dangerous” heat warnings for most of British Columbia – including in the Kamloops area – as parts of the province brace for near-record high temperatures this weekend.
“An exceptionally strong ridge of high pressure will develop over British Columbia likely resulting in record breaking temperatures,” it said in a statement. “The duration of this heat wave is concerning as there is little relief at night with elevated overnight temperatures.”
“This record-breaking heat event will also raise river levels due to glacier melt and increase the risk of wildfires due to drought conditions.”
Warning Preparedness Meteorologist Terri Lang tells NL News the record-breaking heat comes with an increase in the potential for heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion or a heat stroke.
“What the studies have shown are that if the overnight lows are quite warm, your body just doesn’t have that chance to kind of recover. So it’s hot day after hot day after hot day, that’s why we start seeing the accumulated effects of that heat,” she said.
In the Southern Interior, a heat warning is issued when there are two or more consecutive days with daytime maximum temperatures at 35 C or warmer along with nighttime minimum temperatures at 18 C or warmer.
In Kamloops, Environment Canada is forecasting daytime highs of 40 C from Friday through to Monday along with nighttime lows of 22 C. Other weather forecasting agencies though predict it could be as hot as 46 C by Tuesday of next week, which would break the all-time record in Canada.
“Everything would have to be just perfect. I mean it would have to be exactly right with just how hot the overall atmosphere will be moving forward through the weekend – but that’s the calculation,” Global BC Meteorologist Mark Madryga said, on the NL Noon Report.
“I’m seeing many readings in that ball park. You know from 42 C to 45 C or 46 C. It is ridiculous.”
The all-time Canadian record of 45 C was set on July 5, 1937 at Midale and Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan. The B.C. record was set in the Lytton area in 1941 when the mercury topped out at 44.4 C on July 16 and 17.
The hottest it has ever been in Kamloops was 41.7 C back on July 27, 1939 and again on July 16, 1941.
“Let’s hope there are no fires that develop this weekend and give us a blanket of smoke over the area – for the obvious reasons we don’t want any fires but obviously that would also hold the temperature back,”Madryga added.
This heat wave is expected to last from Saturday until at least Tuesday, when Environment Canada says the daytime high in Kamloops is expected to drop to 37 C.
As expected, @environmentca has issued a heat warning for the #Kamloops area given the near-record high temperatures expected over the next few days. @RadioNLNews #bcwx https://t.co/eaAjgwTuht
— Victor Mario Kaisar (@supermario_47) June 23, 2021
A ‘dangerous’ heat warning for most of B.C. with record breaking heat expected on Friday, until at least Tuesday.#Kamloops pic.twitter.com/9uYBJJJ1pu
— Victor Mario Kaisar (@supermario_47) June 24, 2021
