Heat records fall in BC as forecast brings new wildfire concerns

VANCOUVER — It was so hot Sunday in Cache Creek, B.C., that only a “big cold shower” could bring relief, Chandrika Dasi said.

He works at Historic Hat Creek Ranch and lives on site in a cabin, but said he had to leave his house to shower and then head to the ranch. restaurant for air-conditioned relief.

Dasi said the farm is doing its best to deal with the heat wave that has sent temperatures soaring across British Columbia and beyond.

“We have a lot of people who are employed here at the farm and we give them water and drinks all day long,” she said.

“They have access to our restaurant which is air-conditioned and we have air-conditioning in some of our attractions.”

Cache Creek was a hot spot on Sunday with a high of 40.3C, breaking the record of 36.9 for the date set in 2015. It was one of nearly two dozen records for July 7 in the province and the region was , also one of 25 all-time heat records broken or equaled on July 8, setting a new preliminary record of 40.5 degrees Celsius.

The heat spell continued with 46 heat alerts issued across BC by midday Monday.

Warm weather has extended into the Prairies as a separate heat wave hits Atlantic Canada.

Meanwhile, Metro Vancouver issued an air quality advisory for ground-level smog on Monday that it said in a statement will remain in effect “until further notice” and is expected to last several days. The advisory covers northeast and southeast Metro Vancouver and the central and eastern Fraser Valley.

The heat has also raised concerns about fire risks, with dry lightning in the forecast for the southern Interior on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Armel Castellan, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said they are working with the BC Wildfire Service on locations where they have the greatest concern for fires.

“So lightning is associated with a top feature where there’s just not enough moisture yet, and yet the earth solidifies, of course, at very high, dry temperatures and humidity.”

The BC Wildfire Service said Monday that hot, dry conditions are increasing fire potential and the new weather pattern expected midweek will bring strong winds and thunderstorms with dry lightning.

There are 99 active fires in the province, most of them in the northeastern section of BC, where drought has been a persistent problem.

Jennifer Smith, a national warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada, said in a briefing on the hot weather in western Canada on Monday that they are watching for four things that lead to wildfires – hot and dry conditions, wind and lightning without rain.

“So this is not a favorable configuration for wildfires, it’s not favorable in terms of being good for wildfires. All the ingredients are there for wildfires, unfortunately.”

BC had a record wildfire season last year, when more than 28,400 square kilometers of forest and land were burned, while thousands of people were forced from their homes.

A summary from Environment Canada shows 22 daily high temperature records fell across the province on Sunday, with the 38.3 C temperature in Kamloops surpassing a mark that was set in 1906.

Carmen Akerley owns the Sugar Shak ice cream shop at Harbor Quay in Port Alberni, BC, where temperatures reached 35.3C on Sunday and were forecast to reach 36C on Monday.

A lifelong resident of the city, she said she was “pretty used to it being about 10 degrees higher than anywhere else on Vancouver Island.”

Unfortunately, it was “a little too warm,” even for ice cream fans, and business was slow on Monday afternoon.

“People tend to come down right after 6 p.m. because that’s when it’s windy and everyone comes to cool off,” Akerley said, adding that black cherries are a popular flavor this summer.

In downtown Vancouver, I’m queuing for ice cream at Le Parfait.

Gerard Daccache owns the Lebanese-style ice cream shop and said he “loves the heat”.

“We like the heat because that’s where the business would grow.”

Daccache said the most popular item on the menu is ashta, a Middle Eastern ice cream recipe with orange blossom that is then dipped in chopped pistachios.

Outside Daccache’s shop, Elisa Caretta, who is visiting from Italy, said it was “shocking” for her to experience the heat in Canada, a place she always associates with cold and snow.

“I ordered pineapple and orange juice because I was dying of thirst. I finished my water. So I said, “Can we go to a bar please? Because I’m thirsty, I need something to drink,’” Caretta said.

Caretta said she even brought a raincoat for her trip, but it was no use.

Lianna Marie of Calgary said she was on her third day of a visit to Vancouver and spent Sunday walking around downtown.

“It was hard, but I tried really hard to hydrate and walk on the shady side of the street,” said Marie, who was in the shade of a tree reading a book.

Environment Canada says the heat wave brought by a ridge of high pressure is expected to persist through midweek.

The high temperatures are said to pose a “moderate risk” to public health, with the risks being greater for the elderly, people living alone and those with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, respiratory disease or mental health problems.

Heat alerts cover much of the lower third of BC, as well as parts of the northeast, inland sections of the central and north coasts, the Sunshine Coast, Whistler, Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and parts of Vancouver Island.

While the heat is expected to ease Tuesday along the coast and on Vancouver Island, inland temperatures are expected to reach the 40s before moderating on Thursday.

Relief came early for Dasi in Cache Creek when a co-worker gave her an air conditioning unit, which she said she plans to install on Monday.

— With files from Dirk Meissner in Victoria

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 8, 2024.

Brieanna Charlebois and Nono Shen, The Canadian Press