In Lytton, in the province of British Columbia, in southwestern Canada, the temperature was measured at 46.1 degrees on Sunday. This is expected to be the hottest temperature ever recorded in Canada, writes ECCC Weather British Columbia Twitter.
The previous record recorded was 45 degrees and occurred in Saskatchewan in July 1937.
Meteorologist at Radio Canada News, Johanna Wagstaffe says the worst is yet to come. The heat wave is expected to continue throughout this week.
Heat records were also set at several other locations across Canada over the weekend. The country’s Ministry of Climate and Environment has issued a warning for northern Alberta and parts of central Alberta that temperatures could approach 40 degrees this week.
They ask people to take precautions and take care of themselves, their families and their neighbors. And recalls that symptoms of heat stroke can include exhaustion, dizziness, fainting, nausea, vomiting, headache, rapid breathing, extreme thirst and decreased urination, according to CBC News.
– Heat can be deadly
In the United States, authorities have opened cold stores near the large city of Portland in Oregon, where people and animals can come to shelter from the extreme heat.
Last weekend, 42.2 degrees Celsius was recorded in Portland. This broke the previous heat record of 41.7 degrees in 1981, writes Ap News.
Stores in town are running out of portable fans/air conditioners. The heat also caused the tram system to shut down.
Hospitals have closed their clinics for vaccinations and baseball games have been postponed.
In several places, buildings with cold rooms have been opened for those who do not have air conditioning at home.
– Heat is life threatening. People need a cool place in the next few days, says Portland health worker Jennifer Vines.
Cold rooms have also been opened in California. It is the high pressure that creates the record heat. Temperatures of over 40 degrees were recorded in several places.
The heat meant the U.S. Olympic track meet in Eugene, Oregon on Sunday had to be rescheduled for the evening.
A taste of the future
Kristie Ebi, a researcher on global warming at the University of Washington, says it’s a taste of the future and that climate change can affect the weather all over the world.
– We know that climate change alters the frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves. It’s something we have to get used to in the future, says Ebi Ap News.
Maybe a heat wave in Norway
A heat wave was also announced in Norway this week.
– It could definitely be the hottest time so far this year, says duty meteorologist Per Egil Haga at the Meteorological Institute.
Because beyond next week, temperatures will only continue to rise day by day in large parts of southern Norway. In a number of places in eastern Norway, temperatures will be able to soar to 31 degrees.
– The reason is that a high pressure is forming in the North Atlantic, which is starting to move northeast and towards our areas, Haga tells NTB.
And the anticyclone currently looks set to last for a while.