VANCOUVER — The record-breaking heat wave gripping British Columbia has claimed another title.
On Sunday, Lytton, B.C. became the first location in Canada ever to record a temperature over 45 degrees Celsius, registering at least 46.1 degrees, according to Environment Canada.
Lytton BC has broken the record for Canada’s all time maximum temperature of 46.1. The old record was 45.0 C set on July 5, 1937 at Yellow Grass, and Midale, SK. The daytime maximum could be higher so stay tuned for the official recording.
— ECCC Weather British Columbia (@ECCCWeatherBC) June 27, 2021
That’s the hottest temperature ever recorded in the country, the weather agency said in a tweet Sunday. The previous record was set on July 5, 1937, in Saskatchewan.
Earlier in the day, Environment and Climate Change Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips said it was likely that Canada’s maximum temperature record would fall in the next few days.
Phillips mentioned Lytton and nearby Lillooet as likely candidates for the record. The high there was forecasted to be 45 on Sunday, 46 on Monday and 47 on Tuesday.
“It may not get to 47 C, but I think it’s a done deal,” Phillips said. “It’s going to be the all-time Canadian record.”
In its tweet, the weather agency said the 46.1 reading may not even be the hottest it got in Lytton on Sunday.
“The daytime maximum could be higher so stay tuned for the official recording,” the agency said.
Lytton had already set a new local temperature record on Saturday, registering a high of 43.2 degrees. The previous record for the area on June 26 was 39.9, set in 2006.
That was one of 54 temperature records set in B.C. on Saturday, with more likely on the way on Sunday.
