Dozens of temperature records fell in British Columbia on Sunday as the province sweltered under an unseasonable May heat wave.
Lytton and Chilliwack both posted the hottest temperature in Canada for May 14, at 35.9 C. Lytton’s previous temperature record for the day of 33.9 C was set 50 years ago.
It was one of 33 records to fall on what Global BC chief meteorologist Mark Madryga called a “scorcher” of a Sunday.
“Some of these records, a lot of them go back to 1973 and many were broken by two, three, four degrees which is a significant thing to see when you break a record by that much, including Squamish, 35.8 C,” he said. Squamish’s previous record for the day of 29.2 was set in 2018.
Twenty-five of Sunday’s temperature records hit the mercury above 30 C.
Those included Pemberton at 35 C, Lillooett and Hope both at 34.9 C, Agassiz at 34.7 C, Cache Creek at 33.9 C and Abbotsford at 33.6 C.
“Victoria Harbour, an offshore flow, right by the water, (was) almost 31 degrees, breaking a record substantially that was set in 1912,” Madryga added.
That previous 121-year-old record for May 14 was 27.8 C.
More records were expected to fall Monday, with very similar weather in the forecast, Madryga said, as a massive high-pressure ridge continues to linger over B.C.’s Central Interior.
“It’s going to stick around for several days,” he said, adding “It will weaken a little.”
B.C.’s South Coast is expected to get a little reprieve with some marine air moving in in the coming days. Parts of Metro Vancouver could hit 33 C on Monday, with temperatures falling to the 23 to 29 C range through to Friday.
The Central Interior is expected to stay hot through the week with temperatures ranging from 28 to 30 C through Saturday.
And the Southern Interior is forecast to continue to swelter with temperatures ranging from 31 to 33 C through Saturday.
Madryga said that region could also get some thunderstorm activity and isolated showers for areas near the U.S. border.