120-year-old heat record broken in Vancouver

A person sits on the beach under a colourful umbrella as sail boats pass in Vancouver, B.C., Sunday, July 7, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

It was the warmest June 24 in more than a century in Vancouver on Wednesday, according to Environment Canada data.

The Vancouver weather station, which is actually located in Richmond at the Vancouver International Airport, recorded a temperature of 27.7 C, surpassing a previous record of 26.7 C set way back in 1906.

At the Canadian Coast Guard station on Sea Island, which Environment Canada uses for Richmond, the mercury rose to 28 C, also beating the 120-year-old record.

Daily maximum records fell in four other cities, including Chetwynd, Duncan, Qualicum Beach and Squamish. Victoria reached 30 C, tying with 1925 for the highest temperature recorded on a June 24 in the area.

The record-breaking weather comes on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the deadly 2021 heat dome in B.C., when temperatures soared about 40 C in many areas. The extreme temperatures caused more than 600 deaths, according to the province.

Heading into the weekend and next week, temperatures are forecast to cool down for much of the province.

The full list of weather records from June 24 include:

• Chetwynd: New record of 28.9 C, old record of 27.8 C set in 2023
• Duncan: New record of 32.4 C, old record of 32.2 C set in 1940
• Qualicum Beach: New record of 29.5 C, old record of 29.4 C set in 2017
• Richmond: New record of 28 C, old record of 26.7 C set in 1906
• Squamish: New record of 32.6 C, old record of 31.1 C set in 2017
• Vancouver: New record of 27.7 C, old record of 26.7 C set in 1906
• Victoria: Tied record of 30 C set in 1925

The weather agency says its temperature records are “derived from a selection of historical stations in each geographic area that were active during the period of record,” and may contain preliminary information.