
While its been a cooler and wetter start to fire season in the BC Interior, Environment Canada says there is the possibility that things could get very hot by next week.
Meteorologist Doug Lundquist tells NL News we could see 40 C temperatures in parts of Southern BC on Wednesday or Thursday of next week.
“If we are going to get it, this is the time of year to get 40 degree weather,” he said.
“Particularly over Southeast BC and further down towards the Kootenays maybe, but even Kamloops could get pretty darned hot for the middle of next week, into the mid perhaps high 30s, and if it builds back even more, touching close to 40 C.”
Lundquist notes there is some uncertainty around just how hot it could next get week, adding he “wouldn’t be surprised if places like Osoyoos and Warfied hit the 40 C mark.
“It is just one of three models I look at. The Canadian one is a bit cooler, and the US model is much colder for next week but my favourite model, the European Solution, shows an extremely strong ridge where by Day 10, which would be the middle of next week, we could be getting 40 degree weather again across the Southern Interior,” he said.
Lundquist expects to know for sure if we could get to 40 C temperatures later this week, adding if that is the case, there will be heat warnings going out where needed.
“Heat killed far more people in B.C. and so we want people to start to be prepared,” he said. “It is a bit too soon but we are giving the early heads up.”
Last month, the B.C. government said it would be using the Alert Ready system for extreme heat emergencies like last year’s deadly heat dome that killed over 500 people.
The City of Kamloops has also laid out how it intends to deal with another extreme heat emergency.
It plans to open indoor and outdoor community cooling centers using the 35-18-35 forecast – a daytime high of at least 35 C followed by a nighttime low of at least 18 C, for two days in a row.