Williams Lake reached a 60-year high on Sunday, June 27 and with highs of 40C in the forecast for Monday and 41C Tuesday that trend could keep going.
According to Environment Canada, the temperature reached 37.2C at the Williams Lake Airport, however, many locals saw higher temperatures at home, some as high as 41C.
Even at 37.2C, that beats the highest recorded temperature between 1961 and 2021.
The high was 30.1C on June 27, 2008 and the lowest temperature recorded was 0.0C on June 27, 1968.
On June 27, 2021, temperatures at Puntzi Mountain reached 38.1C.
Data has only been collected there by Environment Canada since 1993, yet the highest previous temperature for June 27 was 32.9C in 2015 and the low was -1.2C in 2009.
A heat warning continues for the region and other areas of B.C. that will endure until Wednesday.
Environment Canada notes the source of the heat wave is an exceptionally strong ridge of high pressure that is situated over B.C. and will likely result in record breaking temperatures over the next few days.
Read more: Heat wave dubbed ‘dangerous,’ ‘historic,’ bakes much of Western Canada
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 increase the potential for heat-related illnesses, raise river levels due to glacier melt and increase the risk of wildfires due to drought conditions.
Residents are reminded to drink plenty of water even before you feel thirsty and stay in a cool place.
Check on older family, friends and neighbours. Make sure they are cool and drinking water
Never leave people or pets inside a parked vehicle.
Watch for the symptoms of heat illness: dizziness/fainting; nausea/vomiting; rapid breathing and heartbeat; extreme thirst; decreased urination with unusually dark urine.
So far Williams Lake’s air quality index is at low risk, according to the Government of Canada website.
With the hot weather things are drying out quickly.
To date the Williams Lake area had 19.4 mm of precipitation in June, 43.3 mm in May and 24.8 mm in April.
Read more: Heat wave sets new record for peak hourly demand: BC Hydro
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