Lytton, BC, defends its reputation as the hot point of Canada, registering the highest temperature throughout the country so far this year in the middle of a continuous heat wave that is abrasing a large part of the province.
Environment Canada figures show that Mercury hit 41.3 C on Monday in the community of Fraser Canyon, which marks the hottest temperature of 2025 in Canada.
Lytton also established a daily temperature record for August 25, exceeding the previous registration of 37.2 C established in 1934.
Lytton was one of the 16 BC areas that established new maximum daily records the same day, including Whistler, Pemberton, Kamloop, Kelowna and Cache Creek.
The temperature reached 38.8 C in Cache Creek, exceeding the previous record of 37.1 in 2022, while the maximum of 38.5 C in Lillooet broke the record of 37.3 established in the same year.
Environment Canada is maintaining heat warnings for several areas, including the Fraser Canyon and Southern parts of the Thompson and Okanagan regions, where maximum daily maximums of 35 to 39 C are forecast until the end of the week.
Matt Loney, a meteorologist from the department, says that heat is expected to relieve Friday, since the coldest sea air arrives along the coast and drips inside, although the first week of September is expected to be hotter than normal.
A heat warning is also in force for the interior sections of the north and central coasts, while a special climate statement related to heat covers much of Vancouver Island.
In 2021, Lytton established the most popular Canada temperature record of 49.6 C. The next day, a fire destroyed most of the village.
Loney says that the high pressure crest that has taken heat at the end of the season to BC can “cut” the coldest system that is expected to move on the province.
“It will be a kind of confrontation,” he said.
“Computer models suggest that the upper crest could win and really be able to stop the upper upper and even send it again west retrograde.”
Loney says that means that BC parts can see a first warmer week in September with less rain than normal, but the prognosis becomes less clear after that.
Temperatures decreasing as autumn is approaching: forecaster
In general, temperatures are decreasing as autumn approaches, he says.
“In general terms, they are in their downward trend. But as we have seen, you can still reach 40 degrees at the end of the year.”
The number of forest fires in BC has remained stable at approximately 70, while BC forest fire service has warned that hot and dry conditions would increase fire risk.
The service figures show that seven fires are classified as burned out of control, including the fire of the sailor bar in the Fraser Canyon.
It had mapped 120 hectares, but the service updated the size of the fire to 111 hectares on Tuesday.
The service says that the teams saw a “minimum” growth during the night, and the current operational approach would be to work with CN Rail to access areas at the top of the fire.
The evacuation alerts for the areas of Yale and Spuzzum remain in force due to the fire.
