The heat wave that has scorched southern British Columbia this week has seen temperatures pass 40 degrees for a second consecutive day in the Fraser Canyon, marking the two hottest temperatures recorded in Canada this year. Environment Canada says temperatures in Lytton hit 41.2 degrees on Wednesday, breaking a daily heat record set in 2006. Heat warnings that have blanketed the southern half of the province this week have receded, ending in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, the Sunshine Coast, portions of Vancouver Island and the North Coast. But more than 20 heat warnings remain in place, including in the Fraser Canyon, the Okanagan, Kootenay, Shuswap and Cariboo areas. The high temperatures also caused a sharp spike in power use, with BC Hydro reporting that the province set new electricity consumption records for the summertime for two consecutive days. The utility says power usage reached 8,870 megawatts between 5 and 6 p.m. on Wednesday, breaking the 8,715 megawatts mark set on Tuesday that broke the previous summertime record set last August. On Tuesday, temperatures in Lytton hit 40.5 degrees, although this week’s heat falls far short of the 49.6 degrees recorded in the village on June 29, 2021, a day before it was largely destroyed by a wildfire. The weather forecast agency says Lytton is among 12 B.C. communities that broke daily heat records on Wednesday, with Cache Creek and Osoyoos both pushing past 39 degrees while Nanaimo, Abbotsford, West Vancouver and Sechelt also broke previous marks. On Vancouver Island, the community of Duncan recorded a high of 34.6 degrees, edging past the previous record set almost a century ago in 1928. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2026.
