Lytton was reportedly the hot spot in BC – and Canada – on Saturday (May 13).
With a record temperature of 33.5 °C at around 5:00 PM BC, Lytton was listed as “This Hour’s Hot and Cold Spots” by Environment Canada. British Columbia’s cold spot was Cumshewa Island at 8.8C while Canada’s CFS Alert was Nunavut at -15.6C.
Lytton broke an 11-year record for highest temperatures on Saturday. In 2012, Lytton reached 33°C. The record low was 2.4 °C in 2006.
READ MORE: BC braces for first heatwave of season; Increase in forest fires and flood risks
BC experiences the first heat wave of the season, with temperatures in some regions of the province 10 to 15 degrees above the seasonal average.
But officials said the province would not experience a 2021-like heat dome this weekend, which led to the devastation in Lytton.
READ MORE: BC expects elevated temperatures but no heat dome
READ MORE: From smoke to devastation: 23 minutes at Lytton
Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma said the province expects elevated temperatures in the next week or so and the main concern is the impact of flooding and wildfires. However, she noted that a heat dome is not in the forecast.
“Heat domes are a very specific meteorological phenomenon characterized by sustained high pressure that can trap heat in an area for long periods of time,” she explained. “One of the more important properties of a thermal dome is that temperatures remain high even when the sun goes down at night. We do not expect such a scenario here.”
READ MORE: Greens call for cooling units in homes of most vulnerable as BC faces first heatwave of the year
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