Good morning. This is James Keller in Calgary.
Western Canada has been in the grip of a punishing heat wave for days, with weather advisories covering almost all of British Columbia and Alberta as temperatures soared into the 30s and in some places above 40C.
The heat wave prompted local governments to open cooling stations and urge people to take precautions. The hot weather also brought back memories of last year’s heat dome, which killed more than 600 people in BC and sparked wildfires, including one in Lytton, BC, that destroyed most of the town.
Last year’s heat dome also served as a stark warning of the dangers of severe weather linked to climate change and revealed gaps in the province’s warning systems and emergency preparedness.
With high temperatures in the forecast, emergency officials insist they have taken steps to prepare in light of what happened last year. The BC government said it was prepared to send emergency messages to cellphones through the Alert Ready system if temperatures warmed enough for long enough, and places like Kamloops said they were implementing safety plans developed on last year.
Environment Canada meteorologist Armel Castellan said that while temperatures were high enough to pose a risk, this week’s heat wave was not expected to be as severe as last year’s.
In Lytton, for example, temperatures set daily records in the 40s, but were still below last year’s record, when the town recorded the highest temperature on record anywhere in Canada: 49.6C .
Emergency officials reported an increase in heat-related 911 and 911 calls. Interior Health said 18 people visited emergency departments last week for heat-related issues, compared to seven the week before, while on Vancouver Island five people went to emergency departments this week week due to heat
There may be relief in sight. Temperatures in most places in BC and Alberta were expected to peak Saturday and Sunday.
But emergency officials know the heat could return.
In Kamloops, for example, the city opened its arena as a cooling center earlier this week. It is also training dozens of volunteers to staff two additional cooling centers should they be needed.
This is Western Canada’s weekly newsletter written by BC Editor Wendy Cox and the head of the Alberta office James Keller. If you’re reading this on the web, or someone else forwarded it to you, you can sign up for it and all Globe newsletters here.