B.C. weather: Record-setting heat as thermometer hits sweltering 40 C

It was a scorching Monday across British Columbia as the sun and hot temperatures seared the province.

No fewer than 25 communities set daily heat records for July 8, with another two tying their previous highs.

Leading the record-setting day was Lytton, where the mercury reached 42.4 C, obliterating the town’s old mark of 39.4 C, which was set in 1952.

It was also the nation’s hot spot on Monday.

Two other communities also reached the 40-degree mark — Lillooet, at 40.9 C, and Cache Creek, at 40.7 C — with two more on the cusp — Osoyoos at 39.7 C and Pemberton at 39.1 C.

Blue River

• New record: 35.5 C
• Old record: 34.5 C, set in 2015

Burns Lake

• New record: 32.6 C
• Old record: 31.8 C, set in 2010

Cache Creek

• New record: 40.7 C
• Old record: 40.3 C, set in 2015

Campbell River

• New record: 33.4 C
• Old record: 33.0 C, set in 2010

Castlegar

• New record: 38.3 C
• Old record: 37.4 C, set in 1985

Cranbrook

• Tied record of 35.5 C, set in 2017

Chetwynd

• New record: 32.4 C
• Old record: 32.3 C, set in 2010

Dawson Creek

• New record: 30.9 C
• Old record: 30.8 C, set in 2015

Kamloops

• New record: 38.2 C
• Old record: 38.0 C, set in 2015

Kelowna

• New record: 37.8 C
• Old record: 36.5 C, set in 2015

Lillooet

• New record: 40.9 C
• Old record: 39.6 C, set in 2015

Lytton

• New record: 42.4 C
• Old record: 39.4 C, set in 1952

Mackenzie

• New record: 31.9 C
• Old record: 31.7 C, set in 2015

Malahat

• New record: 32.3 C
• Old record: 30.4 C, set in 2010

Merritt

• New record: 37.9 C
• Old record: 36.7 C, set in 2015

Nelson

• New record: 36.4 C
• Old record: 35.7 C, set in 2017

Osoyoos

• New record: 39.7 C
• Old record: 38.5 C, set in 2015

Pemberton

• New record: 39.1 C
• Old record: 35.2 C, set in 2014

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Princeton

• New record: 37.6 C
• Old record: 36.7 C, set in 1968

Smithers

• New record: 33.0 C
• Old record: 31.9 C, set in 2023

Summerland

• Tied record of 35.7 C, set in 2015

Tatlayoko Lake

• New record: 35.0 C
• Old record: 31.8 C, set in 2010

Trail

• New record: 38.5 C
• Old record: 36.3 C, set in 2017

Terrace

• New record: 33.1 C
• Old record: 32.6 C, set in 2010

Vernon

• New record: 37.5 C
• Old record: 36.2 C, set in 2015

Whistler

• New record: 35.3 C
• Old record: 33.5 C, set in 2010

Yoho National Park

• New record: 30.4 C
• Old record: 29.4 C, set in 1964

More daily records are expected to tumble Tuesday and possibly Wednesday, as the major upper ridge of high pressure responsible for the heat remains parked over B.C.

However, the ridge is expected to start breaking down on Thursday, although not by much. For the Southern Interior, temperatures are expected to remain in the mid-30s until next Thursday.

“As the ridge of high pressure weakens slightly tomorrow, and for the rest of the week, high temps will come down slightly each day in the Interior but will stay up as warm there,” Global News chief meteorologist Mark Madryga said.

“Same for the South Coast but also a little more low-level marine air will bring temps down a touch more – still warm days.”

British Columbia wasn’t the only province to experience record-setting temperatures: 14 daily records were set in Alberta.

The town of Wainwright, which is southeast of Edmonton, was the province’s hot spot at 32.7 C.

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