Southern B.C. set to bake under ‘early season heat event’
Environment Canada has warned of an “early season heat event” across much of southern British Columbia starting Saturday and persisting into early next week.
The agency issued more than 30 special weather statements heading into the weekend, saying a ridge of high pressure will bring elevated temperatures that could reach the low 30s on the coast and the mid-30s inland.
The weather statements span the Lower Mainland, the Sea to Sky corridor, the Fraser Canyon, the Okanagan and parts of Vancouver Island.
Bobby Sekhon, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said Friday that a ridge of high pressure is to thank for the heat, which is expected to peak in intensity on Sunday or Monday before returning to more normal temperatures by Wednesday.
He said the hot stretch is expected to bring temperatures five to 10 degrees warmer than what’s considered normal for this time of year, but stop a few degrees short of the criteria for issuing a heat warning.
“It’s still an early-season heat event, and we felt like it was appropriate to get the word out about that,” he said. “That even though we’ll see temperatures a few degrees below heat warning criteria, it’s still going to be quite high and we might not be used to seeing this kind of weather this early,” he said.
“So that’s why it’s important to give a heads-up.”
A joint statement from the Provincial Health Services Authority and the BC Centre for Disease Control said that the first stretch of high temperatures of the season can lead to people overheating because they aren’t yet accustomed to the heat.
It’s important to monitor for health impacts and consider checking in on neighbours and friends who are at higher risk, such as the elderly, children, people with severe mental illness and those with pre-existing conditions, the statement said.
Environment Canada has also urged people to watch for signs of heat illness, including heavy sweating, rash, cramps and fainting.
The weather office has encouraged people to keep cool indoors by closing curtains or blinds, saying fans alone cannot effectively lower body temperature.
Overnight lows are forecast to be in the low to mid-teens across southern B.C.
The City of Vancouver said in a statement that while temperatures are not hitting the threshold to activate formal cooling centres, there are air-conditioned public spaces available such as libraries and community centres.
Meanwhile, the province’s SPCA issued a statement warning people to keep animals out of hot vehicles.
Even a few minutes in a hot car can be life-threatening for animals, the agency said, adding its helpline had already received 164 calls this year about such situations and that number is expected to rise with the temperatures.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
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