Vancouver Island is expected to see an ease in the spring heat wave Tuesday after the region broke records for three consecutive days.
Vancouver Island remains under a special weather statement from Environment Canada as unseasonably hot weather persists over coastal B.C. through the week.
Tuesday (May 16), the south coast is expected to have a brief break from the heat as cooler marine air and low cloud cover push in from the Pacific Ocean. Daytime highs are expected in the high 20s – about 5 C cooler than Monday – rising again Wednesday.
RELATED: North Saanich registers as hottest place in Canada Monday morning
While the spring heat wave continues to break daily temperature records across the province, Environment Canada emphasizes the expected hot conditions will not approach those reached during the heat dome of 2021.
The Victoria International Airport broke the May 15, 2006 record high of 25.9 C, hitting 29.5 C on Monday. Saturday the airport broke its record for that day, hitting 28.2 C. Records at the North Saanich airport have been documented since 1914.
Monday, Victoria Harbour hit 30.3 C, several degrees above the daily record of 26.1 C set in 1895. It was the second day the harbour area hit a new high, marking 30.7 C the day before. Records there have been kept since 1874.
With summer-like weather sweeping through the province, the Comox Valley experienced its highest temperatures ever recorded for May 13 and 14.
On May 13, a temperature of 26.9 C was recorded at Comox Airport, timidly breaking the 2021 record of 26.6 C in 2018. On May 14, the mercury reached a staggering high of 31.9 C, shattering the 1949 record of 25.6 C.
Meanwhile, in the Alberni Valley, the weekend was a hot one, but it wasn’t record-setting.
While Friday and Saturday’s temperatures were in the early 30s, they didn’t break any records. On Sunday, May 14 Port Alberni tied a temperature record set in 1939. At 5:30 p.m. an Environment Canada website noted the temperature was 32.8 C.
More than 50 heat records were broken all over B.C. over the weekend.
The heat is supposed to last throughout the week, with a few clouds cooling the region down to the mid-20s in time for the May long weekend.
Even though it’s been unseasonably hot, it hasn’t been hot enough to trigger cooling stations in the city because it has been cooling down in the evening. Heat warnings are triggered when unseasonably hot weather moves in and continues to heat up, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
There are three categories of heat alerts issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
A special weather statement may still be issued for the first heat event of the year. A heat warning is issued when daytime highs are expected to reach 29 C for two consecutive days with lows not falling below 16 C. An extreme heat emergency is when the criteria for a heat warning is expected to last three or more consecutive days.
In Victoria, an extreme heat emergency triggers the city’s heat response plan – including cooling centres and misting stations with locations shared through social media and Vic-Alert, the city’s emergency notification system.
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christine.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca
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