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Warm start to Thanksgiving long weekend broke 14 temperature records in B.C.

An aerial photo published by the B.C. government shows Quesnel. An aerial photo published by the B.C. government shows Quesnel.
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Fourteen communities around B.C. saw their hottest Oct. 7 on record Saturday, including one where the previous record had stood for more than 100 years.

The mercury hit 23 C in Quesnel Saturday, breaking the old record of 22.2 C set 104 years ago in 1919.

That was easily the oldest record set on the first day of the Thanksgiving long weekend, according to preliminary data shared by Environment and Climate Change Canada Saturday evening.

The most recent record to fall? That was a five-way tie between Bella Bella, Chetwynd, Pitt Meadows, Powell River and West Vancouver, all of which saw their previous hottest Oct. 7 just last year.

Pitt Meadows also has the distinction of seeing the hottest record-breaking temperature of the day, at 27.7 C. Last year's record high was 27 C.

The community that broke its old record by the largest margin was Mackenzie, where the high of 21.1 C beat the previous record – 17.4 C, set in 1978 – by nearly four degrees.

The full list of records set Saturday, as reported by ECCC, follows, in alphabetical order.

  • Bella Bella area: Preliminary new record of 23.1 C, old record of 19.8 C set in 2022
  • Burns Lake area: Preliminary new record of 22.5 C, old record of 22.1 C set in 2012
  • Chetwynd area: Preliminary new record of 26.2 C, old record of 23.9 C set in 2022
  • Dawson Creek area: Preliminary new record of 25 C, old record of 23.9 C set in 1952
  • Mackenzie area: Preliminary new record of 21.1 C, old record of 17.4 C set in 1978
  • Pitt Meadows area: Preliminary new record of 27.7 C, old record of 27 C set in 2022
  • Port Hardy area: Preliminary new record of 21.9 C, old record of 18.3 C set in 1964
  • Powell River area: Preliminary new record of 23.5 C, old record of 23.2 C set in 2022
  • Prince George area: Preliminary new record of 22.6 C, old record of 21.4 C set in 2010
  • Prince Rupert area: Preliminary new record of 21.5 C, old record of 18.3 C set in 1943
  • Quesnel area: Preliminary new record of 23 C, old record of 22.2 C set in 1919
  • Tatlayoko Lake area: Preliminary new record of 24.7 C, old record of 23.9 C set in 1952
  • West Vancouver area: Preliminary new record of 25 C, old record of 24 C set in 2022
  • Williams Lake area: Preliminary new record of 22.1 C, old record of 21.7 C set in 1964

Environment Canada says the temperature records it reports are "derived from a selection of historical stations in each geographic area that were active during the period of record." 

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