A dozen heat records fall in B.C. on Thursday

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A dozen heat records were broken in B.C. on Thursday.

Spots across the province hit record highs. Mackenzie in northern B.C. reached 26 degrees, Port Hardy got up to 23.6, Qualicum Beach shot up to 27.7.

The Vancouver area set a record by hitting 26.7 degrees, with the old record set at 26.1 in 1944. West Vancouver’s high was 30.1, almost five degrees higher than the previous set in 1987 of 25.8. The Victoria area got up to 29.1, with the old record of 27.8 set in 1944.

Two of the hottest spots were Squamish and Pitt Meadows, with both exceeding 31 degrees.

“For construction workers it’s about water, water, water – making sure to stay hydrated and finding shade,” says Jordan Bateman of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association which represents the construction industry.

While it would be nice to be able to give construction workers the chance to start work early to beat the heat, Bateman says it’s not an option.

“Every municipality has its own construction restrictions. You can’t get there too early, because obviously you don’t want to be banging around when people are sleeping next door.”

He adds that shifts are already staggered as much as possible, to allow for personalized COVID safety checks before shifts begin.

As bad as this heat can be, he points out it’s been hotter – for longer – in the recent past.

“In previous years, we’ve seen 35, 36, 37 degrees for a number of days in a row. That can take a toll on the body. This year the temperatures seem to be topping out at 30, 31.”

Special weather statements are still in effect for Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island, the Southern Gulf Islands, Similkameen, Fraser Valley, Okanagan and Sunshine Coast for Friday, when temperatures are still expected to be up to 10 degrees above average for this time of year.

Air quality will be a concern for a lot of southern B.C. on Friday, as well, as smoke continues to be carried in from wildfires in the U.S.