This week new temperature record was set in Lytton, British Columbia when the temperature rose to 49.5 degrees Celsius (121 Fahrenheit).
Environment and Climate Change Canada posted on Twitter, announcing a temperature equal to 121 degrees Fahrenheit said, “At 4:20 pm, Lytton Climate Station reported 49.5°C, once again, breaking the daily and all-time temperature records for the third straight day.”
This year western Canada has been experiencing a historic heatwave, which has led to the sudden spike of deaths in British Columbia, and it is expected that the death toll would further increase.
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According to the B. C. Coroners Services, the province has recorded nearly triple deaths over a period of five days. The normal deaths reported in five days are 165 but now due to high temperature, the value has reached 486. More deaths are expected to be recorded as more records are entered into the system.
Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe in a statement said, “It is believed likely that the significant increase in deaths reported is attributable to the extreme weather B.C. has experienced and continues to impact many parts of our province.”
In Vancouver, the province’s biggest city, a hike in the purchase of cooling appliances such as fans and air conditioners were observed. Air conditioners were sold out in stores and online purchasing websites. Power demand has also set another record as the demand is all-time high by more than 600 megawatts, which is nearly equal to the total capacity of some coal power plants. This heatwave has forced the government to close the schools and vaccination centres, while the officials are setting up fountains and water sprinklers at the corner of the streets.
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British Columbia's power providers said there had been a surge in demand for electricity to keep air-conditioners running. Some bars and restaurants also stopped functioning due to the heatwave.
On Wednesday, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth has told in a press conference that calls to 911 in the province have broken all-time records and the emergency responders are being stretched thin.
Mike Farnworth said, “With the reality of climate change, we can’t ignore the possibility of this kind of event happening again in the future.”