British Columbia’s capital saw its hottest Aug. 23 in more than 100 years Saturday, according to preliminary data from Environment Canada. Weather stations in the Victoria-area registered a high of 31.1 C, beating the record of 30 C set in 1916. Other communities on Vancouver Island where the temperature hit 31.1 C included Comox and Courtenay, breaking records of 30 C for those places set in 1966. The highest temperature on the list was recorded in Lytton, where the mercury hit 38.6 C, over a degree hotter than the previous record of 37.5 C in 1958. On the Lower Mainland, the temperature in Abbotsford rose to 34.2 C, far exceeding the record of 31.7 C set in 1966. Pitt Meadows saw a high of 33 C, breaking a 91-year-old record of 31.7 C. The BC Wildfire Service has warned the hot, dry weather could lead to flareups of existing fires, or new blazes sparking. The following is a list of the other preliminary temperature records broken Saturday, which Environment and Climate Change Canada notes “does not constitute a complete or final report.”
