VANCOUVER — A ridge of high pressure has prompted more heat warnings in British Columbia and broken temperature records, including one that was nearly a century old.
Environment Canada has issued warnings for sections of the Boundary region, the North Coast, the Fraser Canyon and the North and South Thompson, saying temperatures will reach the mid-30s through to Thursday, with lows overnight down to about 18 C.
Records fell in more than a dozen locations on Monday, including Clearwater where the mercury reached 35.6 C and surpassed a daily record set in 1928, while in Quesnel, the temperature of 33.6 C broke a high established in 1938.
The agency says the high temperatures create a moderate risk to public health in those areas and those who are at risk need to take precautions.
The BC Wildfire Service says the heat wave has left fuels susceptible to wildfires, however there were fewer lightning strikes on Monday compared with the thousands of strikes at the end of August.
Those storms across the southern Interior and southeast region lifted the number of wildfires burning to almost 170, with most of the out-of-control fires in the southern Interior.
The fires prompted air quality warnings for much of central B.C. and through the northeastern part of the province, with Environment Canada saying the smoke may not lift in those regions until Thursday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 2, 2025.
The Canadian Press
