The year was 1977.
Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope was king at the box office and KC and the Sunshine Band was topping the charts with, “I’m Your Boogie Man.”
That was also the last time that Pemberton, a small community north of Whistler, saw temperatures anywhere near the ones it reached on a June 18 amid a heat wave on Monday.
WATCH: B.C. Evening Weather Forecast ← Jun 18
The agricultural community, once known for its music festival, saw the mercury hit 37.4 degrees Celsius on Monday, beating the record of 35.6 degrees that it hit on June 18, 1977.
But that wasn’t the only place that hit a record high.
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Joining Pemberton among record-breakers were Kitimat, which hit 36.1 degrees, up from a high of 35 degrees.
Also reaching new records were the Comox Airport (33.3 degrees, up from 32.2), the Malahat Summit (32.1, up from 30.4), Nakusp (32.9, up from 31.7) and Stewart (31.8, up from 30.9).
Kitimat and Stewart were particularly notable: they beat records previously set in 2004. The other records had been set many years prior.
Record highs and extremes are starting to become the norm, said Global BC senior meteorologist Kristi Gordon.
Flooding and droughts are also becoming more common.
READ MORE: Heat warning in effect for B.C. as temperatures break records
The records were contained in a report from Environment Canada, which noted that its summary “may contain preliminary or unofficial information and does not constitute a complete or final report.”
The report came amid a heat warning that said “sunny skies and very warm aware” were likely to persist for several days as a “ridge of high pressure envelops British Columbia.”
Across Metro Vancouver, high temperatures are expected to hit the low 30s on Tuesday and Wednesday, and that’s 12 to 14 degrees above the June average.
Some cooling can be expected on Thursday.
Also of note: at around 11 p.m. PT, Environment Canada noted that the Qualicum Beach Airport was the hottest spot in Canada, at 27.5 degrees.
The BC Centre for Disease Control has numerous recommendations for avoiding heat-related sicknesses.
They include never leaving kids alone in a parked car, drinking lots of fluids (even extra water before you feel thirsty), staying in air-conditioned buildings and planning any outdoor activity before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
More tips can be found right here.
- With files from Amy Judd
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