Days above 30 C more than double historic average in B.C. Interior, according to Environment Canada
Andrew Kurjata | CBC News | Posted: July 27, 2023 11:44 PM | Last Updated: July 27, 2023
Vancouver, Prince George see highest 30-day average temperature on record for July
The number of days where temperatures climbed above 30 C in the B.C. Interior this year is far above historic averages, data from Environment Canada shows.
Prince George has been particularly hot compared to past averages. Normally, by Aug. 1, the city has only seen one day climb above 30 C. This year, eight days have already been recorded.
Annually, there are three days on average where temperatures go above 30 C. The highest-ever number recorded in a single year is 18, in 1927.
Further south, in B.C.'s Interior, Kelowna and Kamloops have also seen an unusually warm spring and early summer.
In Kelowna, there are historically 27 days a year above 30 C on average, and just 16 by July 31. This year, there have already been 30.
Meanwhile, Kamloops has already recorded 36 days above 30 C, compared to a historic average of 19 by the time July ends.
And Lytton, which in 2021 set a new record for the hottest day ever recorded in Canada shortly before being devastated by wildfire, has topped 30 C for 40 days this year — 23 days above average.
Consecutive days reaching more than 30 C can lead to health problems like cramps, fainting, heat stroke and in extreme circumstances, death, as seen during the 2021 heat dome, which led to 619 fatalities across the province.
The numbers and records for other B.C. communities can be viewed using the CBC News Climate Dashboard, which pulls data from the Meteorological Service of Canada, a division of Environment Canada.
Hottest average temperature recorded in Vancouver in past 30 days
As concerning as daily highs can be, another measure is the daily average, which provides a sense of not just how warm it is during the day, but also overnight and into the evening when temperatures fall.
On that measure, even parts of B.C. that aren't setting daily records are recording warmer-than-usual summers. Vancouver, for example, has seen an average temperature of 20.5 C over the past 30 days, 2.9 C above average — and the hottest average temperature ever recorded in the city for that time period.
Prince George also recorded its hottest average July temperature at 19 C, 3.5 C above normal.
While not setting records, other cities have also recorded extremely hot daily averages including Kelowna (3.9 C above normal), Kamloops (2.8 C above normal) and Victoria (1.4 C above average).
Hotter days ahead
B.C. is not alone in seeing higher temperatures — July is shaping up to be the hottest month ever recorded worldwide, according to a new analysis from Germany's Leipzig University.
Sweltering temperatures have been seen in the United States, China and Europe with temperatures in several places rising to above 40 and sometimes even 50 C.
"The era of global warming has ended. The era of global boiling has arrived," United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in reaction to the news.
"Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning," Guterres said.
Human-caused emissions "are ultimately the main driver of these rising temperatures," said Carlo Buontempo, director of the EU-funded C3S, which supplied the data for the analysis, along with the UN World Meteorolgical Organization.
Rising temperatures exacerbate and accelerate climate disasters such as the record-breaking wildfire season and drought challenging British Columbia where hot temperatures and a lack of precipitation have helped fuel hundreds of wildfires across the province, including the largest ever recorded, and costing millions of dollars.
According to the CBC News climate dashboard, if the world continues to develop a fossil-fuel based economy, the average annual temperature in B.C. will increase from anywhere between 3.8 C to up to 8 C, depending on the exact location.
If governments make a major immediate shift toward lowering emissions, the increase could be between 1.2 C to 3.7 C.
Clarifications:- This story has been updated to clarify the 30 day average temperature records set in Prince George and Vancouver are for the time period preceding date of publication. July 29, 2023 12:00 AM