5 B.C. communities saw record high temperatures Saturday

High temperature records for Sept. 10 – including one that had stood for 78 years – fell in five communities across B.C. on Saturday.

The oldest record of the bunch was from 1944, when temperatures in the Hope area hit 32.8 C. On Saturday, Hope saw a new record of 33.3 C. Records have been kept in the area since 1936.

Other records that were broken Saturday were more recent. Both Powell River and Squamish broke records that had been set in 2020, while Abbotsford exceeded its previous high temperature for Sept. 10, which was set in 2007.

The five new records set Saturday were as follows, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada:

• Abbotsford area: new record of 32.4, old record of 30.1 set in 2007
• Hope area: new record of 33.3, old record of 32.8 set in 1944
• Powell River area: new record of 28.1, old record of 27.6 set in 2020
• Squamish area: new record of 32.0, old record of 31.6 set in 2020
• White Rock area: new record of 30.3, old record of 27.5 set in 1989

The temperature records reported by Environment Canada are considered preliminary because they haven't gone through quality assurance checks. However, meteorologists have previously told CTV News it's rare for preliminary records to be reversed.

The latest records come after the Lower Mainland experienced its hottest August ever. 

Hot, dry weather has been contributing to the growth of late-season wildfires across B.C.

Much of the Lower Mainland was under an air quality advisory this weekend due to smoke from blazes in the Fraser Valley and the U.S., as well as a fire at a wood recycling facility in South Vancouver.