Heat warnings issued for B.C. coast, Fraser Valley, Okanagan

Temperatures are going to soar into the 30s over the next few days in several parts of B.C., prompting a series of heat warnings from Environment and Climate Change Canada. The weather agency said a number of areas are facing a “period of elevated temperatures,” including the Fraser Valley, Fraser Canyon, Sunshine Coast, Howe Sound and Whistler. Similar warnings are also in place further inland—in the Okanagan Valley, Shuswap, Boundary and West Kootenay areas—and up the coast in Terrace, Kitimat and Bella Coola. In the Fraser Valley, a ridge of high pressure is expected to send daytime high temperatures into the “low to mid 30s, with overnight lows in the mid to high teens,” according to a warning issued Monday afternoon. The heat is expected to continue to Thursday. On the Sunshine Coast and North Coast, temperatures in the low 30s are expected and will last until Wednesday. Officials say the heat poses a risk to public health and advised residents to watch for signs of heat illness, check on vulnerable loved ones, and keep their homes cool. Meanwhile, parts of northeastern B.C., the Kootenays and Fraser Canyon are under air quality warnings as more than 100 wildfires burn across the province. The B.C. Wildfire Service says the warm and dry conditions will raise the risk of new fire starts, after a lightning storm last week also ignited dozens of blazes. As of Monday afternoon, there were 104 active wildfires burning in the province, with 41 classified as out of control.