Southern British Columbia is bracing for its first serious bout of hot weather of the season.
Environment Canada has issued special weather statements for most of southern B.C., stretching from southern and eastern Vancouver Island through to Revelstoke, the Okanagan Valley and Grand Forks.
“A ridge of high pressure is bringing high temperatures to the region. Daytime highs are expected to be in the high 20s to low 30s with overnight lows in the low- to mid-teens,” on the South Coast, the weather and climate agency warned.
The high temperatures are forecast to persist into next week, with the latest forecasts showing the heat peaking on Sunday and Monday.
“This will be the first prolonged heat event of the year,” Global BC senior meteorologist Kristi Gordon said.
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Temperatures will be five to 10 degrees above average across the South Coast for six days, through Tuesday. On Saturday, Sunday and Monday, many areas away from the water in Metro Vancouver and through the Fraser Valley will be approaching 30 C.”
Gordon said the Southern Interior will also see hot weather through next Wednesday, with daytime highs int eh 29 C to 35 C range. That’s about seven to 12 degrees above the seasonal average.
While the temperatures won’t come close to the deadly peaks British Columbia has seen in serious heat events like the 2021 Heat Dome, Environment Canada said they can still be dangerous.
“Early season heat can be significant due to the lack of acclimatization to elevated temperatures,” the agency warned.
“Keep your house cool. Block the sun by closing curtains or blinds. Watch for the effects of heat illness: heavy sweating, rash, cramps, fainting, high body temperature and the worsening of some health conditions.”
Gordon said the coming hot weather isn’t expected to be extremely dangerous, but it is a good time to begin thinking about ways to prepare for more extreme heat that’s expected later in the summer.
You can find out more about heat-related illnesses and risks to vulnerable groups here.
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