June heatwave shatters records in region
By Lone Sheep Publishing
June was a record-breaking month for heat said the Southeast Fire Centre in the monthly weather synopsis.
There was a new record high mean monthly temperature — set at 21.3 degrees — breaking the previous record of 20.3 registered in 2015.
“The month started off breaking a few daily maximum temperature records under a ridge of high pressure,” the Southeast Fire Centre weather synopsis said.
“Then from June 5th to the 15th, a series of mostly weak impulses of Pacific moisture rotating around an offshore trough delivered 28.6mm of rain, over half of which came on June14th.”
The Southeast Fire Centre said the month’s total rainfall was 60% below normal, continuing the spell of drier than average conditions that began earlier this year in February.
By June 20th an upper ridge began to rebuild over BC, and on June 27th, combined influences of an exceptionally strong ridge of high pressure, an associated hot and dry airmass, and the strong surface heating of late June led to a new record maximum temperature of 41.6 degrees Celsius.
“Over the next few days, the ridge remained stalled over BC, so this historically significant new record didn’t last long . . . as it was beaten on June 28th with a temperature of 42 C,” the Southeast Fire Centre weather synopsis said.
“That (temperature) was then beaten again on June 30th with a value of 43.9. 43.9 is the new all-time maximum temperature for this location.”
The Southeast Fire Centre weather synopsis said apart from the climatologically significant new record maximum temperature of 43.9 degrees, a total of 13 new daily max mean temperatures were set this month, as were nine new daily max temperature records.
The hot-dry weather has put the wildfire season into high gear with 689 fires province wide, including 58 this past week.
Locally, in the Southeast Fire Centre, there are 29 reported wildfires.
The Kamloops and the Cariboo Fire Centers have the most active wildfires, reporting 65 and 49, respectively.
Each of the centers has five wildfires of note on the BC Wildfire website.
The Boundary and West Kootenay regions all remain under a Heat Warning Advisory while Environment Canada has called for a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Kootenay Lake and Arrow Lakes-Slocan Lakes.
Temperatures are expected to remain in the low-to-mid 30s for the West Kootenay and Boundary regions.
