Extreme Heat Alert lifted in Lower Mainland, heat warning still in place

Vancouver -

An Extreme Heat Alert is no longer in place for B.C.’s Lower Mainland, but a heat warning remains in effect.

Health officials with both Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health issued a notice Saturday afternoon, saying temperatures recorded at Vancouver and Abbotsford international airports were below the threshold for an Extreme Heat Alert.

However, Environment Canada renewed its heat warning for the region Saturday afternoon, as was a special air quality statement. The warning says heat wave conditions will last until Sunday morning for Metro Vancouver, with overnight lows around 16 to 18 degrees celsius.

In response to the changing situation, the City of Vancouver has downgraded its heat measures. During the Extreme Heat Alert, the city had opened cooling centres overnight. Those overnight centres are now closed, but they could return.

Kirsten Jasper, manager of operational readiness for the City of Vancouver, says the city plans to use overnight cooling centres whenever there is an Extreme Heat Alert, offering more options for people to find relief from potentially dangerous conditions.

The elevated alert level was implemented in late June when B.C. faced record-breaking temperatures brought by a heat dome over Western Canada, but officials faced criticism for failing to communicate the severity of the situation.

Even though temperatures are dropping in the coming days, Jasper warns people should not be complacent.

“The effects of heat can be cumulative, so with the heat warning still being in effect, people still want to take a lot of care,” she said, adding cooling centre hours are still extended while the warning from Environment Canada is in place.