B.C. weather: 149-year-old temperature record broken amid heat wave

Nearly three dozen additional temperature records were broken across B.C. Tuesday as some parts of the province are expected to see more heat in the days ahead.

Preliminary data from Environment and Climate Change Canada showed 34 more records for daily maximum temperatures fell on Tuesday. Three other records for July 9 were tied and one new record for a daily minimum temperature was set.

Some records that were broken were more than a century old – including one that appeared to be last set in the late 1800s. In Pitt Meadows it reached 34.2 C on July 9, wiping out an 1875 record for that day of 33.3 C, according to ECCC's preliminary data. Records have been kept in that area since 1874.

Penticton, Quesnel and Vernon also broke records that were previously set more than a century ago.

Record-breaking temperatures are expected to ease for some parts of the province Wednesday, particularly along the coast and in Metro Vancouver. Hot conditions are expected to persist in the Interior, however, with 21 heat warnings still in effect for some regions.

"A ridge of high pressure over the region will continue to result in very high temperatures," ECCC's warning for the central Okanagan says. "These temperatures are expected to moderate starting Thursday but will remain elevated through the remainder of the week."

The full list of daily maximum temperature records broken or tied on Tuesday follow:

• Abbotsford area: New record of 33.5 C, old record of 31.8 C set in 2010
• Blue River area: New record of 37.3 C, old record of 35.5 C set in 2015
• Cache Creek area: New record of 42.1 C, old record of 40.2 C set in 2015
• Clearwater area: Tied 2015 record of 38.2 C
• Clinton area: New record of 35.2 C, old record of 34.4 C set in 1975
• Creston area: New record of 36.9 C, old record of 36.2 C set in 2015
• Dawson Creek area: New record of 36.2 C, old record of 33.4 C set in 2023
• Fort Nelson area: New record of 33.1 C, old record of 33 C set in 2023
• Fort St. John area: New record of 33.4 C, old record of 31.6 C set in 2023
• Gibsons area: New record of 30.6 C, old record of 27.6 C set in 2021
• Golden area: New record of 36.4 C, old record of 35.6 C set in 1930
• Hope area: New record of 33.1 C, old record of 32.5 C set in 2007
• Kamloops area: New record of 40.6 C, old record of 38.6 C set in 2015
• Kelowna area: New record of 39.3 C, old record of 38.6 C set in 2015
• Lillooet area: New record of 41.6 C, old record of 40.6 C set in 1926
• Lytton area: New record of 42.5 C, old record of 40.6 C set in 1975
• Mackenzie area: New record of 34.5 C, old record of 32.7 C set in 2023
• Malahat area: New record of 31.6 C, old record of 30.6 C set in 2015
• Merritt area: New record of 38.4 C, old record of 37.1 C set in 2015
• Pemberton area: New record 39.8 C, old record of 37.2 C set in 1975
• Penticton area: New record of 38.4 C, old record of 37.2 C set in 1919
• Pitt Meadows area: New record of 34.2 C, old record of 33.3 set in 1875
• Port Alberni area: Tied 1926 record of 36.1 C
• Powell River area: New record of 30.5 C, old record of 30.4 C set in 1985
• Prince George area: New record of 33 C, old record of 32.2 C set in 1926
• Princeton area: New record of 39.5 C, old record of 37.2 C set in 1975
• Puntzi Mountain area: New record of 34.5 C, old record of 31.5 C set in 2021
• Quesnel area: New record of 37.2 C, old record of 35.6 C set in 1920
• Revelstoke area: New record of 36.6 C, old record of 36.2 C set in 2017
• Sechelt area: New record of 30.6 C, old record of 29.4 C set in 1956
• Smithers area: New record of 32.2 C, old record of 30.6 C set in 1975
• Squamish area: New record of 33.4 C, old record of 32 C set in 1985
• Trail area: Tied 2015 record of 39.3 C
• Vernon area: New record of 39.6 C, old record of 36.7 C set in 1905
• West Vancouver area: New record of 30.8 C, old record of 30.5 C set in 1985
• Williams Lake area: New record of 35.1 C, old record of 31.7 C set in 1975
• Yoho National Park area: New record of 31.8 C, old record of 30 C set in 1930

One minimum daily temperature record was also broken in Bella Bella area, where it got as low as 6.8 C on Tuesday. The previous low record for that day was 7.1 C, set in 2011.

ECCC says temperature records are "derived from a selection of historical stations in each geographic area that were active during the period of record" and its summary may contain preliminary or unofficial information.