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Canada Earth

At Nearly 116 Degrees, Heat in Western Canada Shatters National Record (nytimes.com) 185

Posted by msmash from the closer-look dept.
The heat is expected to continue for several days in some parts of British Columbia, according to weather warnings from the government. From a report: Vancouverites were frying eggs on pans placed on their terraces. One man checked into an air-conditioned five-star hotel, after the five fans aimed at his bed at home and the seventh cold shower failed to bring relief. Lettuce plants shriveled in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia's picturesque wine region. Flowers wilted. People wilted. The heat wave across western Canada has much of a country known for its sweater weather sweating. Canada broke a national heat record on Sunday when the temperature in a small town in British Columbia reached almost 116 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking an 84-year-old record by nearly 3 degrees, with dangerously hot weather expected to continue for several more days.

"This is a complete shock to a Canadian -- this feels like Las Vegas or India -- not Vancouver," said Chris Johnson, a criminal lawyer who on Monday was heading to an air-conditioned hotel room as temperatures inside his home reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Tying any one weather event to climate change requires extensive attribution analysis, but heat waves around the world are growing more frequent, longer-lasting and more dangerous, experts say. David Phillips, a senior climatologist at Environment Canada, a government agency, said the early timing of this one, its intensity and its duration, could all be attributable to rising global temperatures.
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At Nearly 116 Degrees, Heat in Western Canada Shatters National Record More

At Nearly 116 Degrees, Heat in Western Canada Shatters National Record

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  • Wrong: it was really 49.6 C or 121.3 F (Score:5, Interesting)

    by theshowmecanuck ( 703852 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2021 @03:30PM (#61538078) Journal
    And that is the official measurement from Environment Canada, so not inflated. Just what it was. Yes it was in a village but there was a city not far away (Kamloops pop. 100,000) hitting 47.3 (so hotter in the downtown).
    • FWIW, Vancouver which is on the coast reached up to 40 to 41 degrees C (up to 105 F) in the city 5 to 10 km inland, and 35 by the water. By 30 km inland temps were well into the 40s. Normal high for this time of year for Vancouver is 20 by the water and 25 inland.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by MrKaos ( 858439 )

        You have my sympathy. In Australia we've had days where it was 46 C near the coast (where I lived) and up to 54 C inland - fucking horrible basically.

        I've adjusted my diet according to weather. I like cakes and pigging out so I reserve that for the months heading into winter (I'm in pig out mode now nom nom). For two more weeks I get to eat and sleep deeply.

        In two more weeks I stop all that and go into trim down mode. Basically I try to strip off as much fat as I can heading into summer. Essentially

        • Sounds like the lightning and winds have done in Lytton. Doesn't look good in that whole area.
          https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada... [www.cbc.ca]

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by rtb61 ( 674572 )

          There will be a lot of regional plant, insect and animal die off. They have not evolved for that temperature and real damage is done pretty quickly. Plants that don't live where it gets to over 40 degrees do not survive when it gets to 40 degrees, they die off pretty quick, wrong leaf structure. Insects die out pretty quick and insects that can tolerate higher temperatures will explode in population. You will have had far higher than normal expansion in many structural elements, when it gets cold again, cra

    • Not only was that an all-time Canadian temperature record, that is an all-time temperature record north of 45 degrees North latitude.

    • but what is it with the humidex?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      And that is the official measurement from Environment Canada, so not inflated. Just what it was. Yes it was in a village but there was a city not far away (Kamloops pop. 100,000) hitting 47.3 (so hotter in the downtown).

      Lytton begged Environment Canada for that temperature station actually. That village is regarded as the "hotspot of Canada" in that it's routinely the hottest location.

      I actually turned the AC up because it was running for so long to save some electricity. When it was 42C outside, it really

      • Re:Wrong: it was really 49.6 C or 121.3 F (Score:5, Informative)

        by Maxo-Texas ( 864189 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2021 @05:21PM (#61538530)

        Here's some tips from Texas.

        Pick one room 200sq foot or less room to be the "cool" room. Put a 5000 or 6000 btu AC in it. Raise the thermostat for the rest of the house to 82 to 84 and turn on the exhaust fans in the bathroom and kitchen. Close all doors to the cool room.

        Basically live in that during the day. Move anything temperature sensitive (medicine, vitamins, wine) to that room.

        Low AC bills, cooler room.

        If it gets below 80 at night, swap out the house air with outside air.

        Also... you can hang shade cloth up outside your house on the backyard side if it gets sun.
        And you may want to think about installing some kind of awnings over your windows.

        My house was built pre 1960's and it has 6' eaves on the sunny side.

        Also consider adding to your attic insulation (esp over the cool room).

        • "Put a 5000 or 6000 btu AC in it."

          In BC, and i am sure washington state, no one has any AC at all. You never need it so why have the expense? I have been offered free ACs before and passed them up because it never gets that hot here. Heck you have many buildings not air conned, like many stores have had to close. It generally only ever gets to 29-30 and that would be an extremely hot august day for people around here. It was 39 when i left work the other day and 55*c in my hot car.

          • You must live on the coast or the island. The interior gets freakin' roasting every year in the summer. I've lived there. Many people have A/C. I haven't seen a new house in the interior that doesn't have central air if it is located in the cities in the valleys. If your home is up top, on the high ground 4 or 5 thousand feet or more, people might be less inclined to buy A/C units since those areas average 10 degrees cooler than the valleys, especially at night.

          • In BC, and i am sure washington state, no one has any AC at all.

            You have no clue. Seattle hit 108 (42c) on Monday. About 30% of homeowners in western Washington have AC but that left hundreds of thousands of people with no AC, not to mention the 1000 or so customers that lost power when parts of the electrical grid went down.

            Eastern Washington was even hotter. Two stations in Chelan County - one in Peshastin and one in Ardenvoir - recorded 119-degree highs Tuesday afternoon, surpassing the state’s previous all-time high of 118 degrees.

    • There is a forest fire happening there.

      https://www.pqbnews.com/news/u... [pqbnews.com]

  • not shattered

  • Thank you for sending us your weather (Score:5, Insightful)

    by avandesande ( 143899 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2021 @03:31PM (#61538086) Journal
    It's rainy and cool the last few days in New Mexico

  • Some BC regions (Score:3)

    by future assassin ( 639396 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2021 @03:32PM (#61538088)

    like Lytton and Spences Bridge get to 40-42C in summer every year. I love driving there when its 42 and head to the Thompson River on Spences. The dry heat is awesome.

    A few years back when driving through Lytton and we had huge fires the temps where 44C

    • The auto-ignition temperature of wood (paper) is 451 degrees Fahrenheit (232.8 degrees Centigrade). Temperatures of 44C are insufficient to cause "huge fires". (There was ever a popular book written about burning books called, interestingly, Fahrenheit 451, because that happens to be auto-ignition temperature of a book).

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by dryeo ( 100693 )

        What's the temperature in a stroke of lightning as there is a lot of it in those places, often with no corresponding rain.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by dryeo ( 100693 )

        BTW, the lightning has seen Lytton catch fire and may be gone now.

  • Is it extreme enough? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Gravis Zero ( 934156 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2021 @03:38PM (#61538118)

    Are these weather patterns extreme enough for you to actually change? Will you continue to say you'll buy an EV in the future but make no plans to do so? Will you put more CO2 into the atmosphere into by driving your car because it's more convenient? Will you wait until this becomes an annual pattern? Will you tell your children there is nothing you could do? Will you point to other sources of CO2 and say, "whatabout them"? Will you continue to be part of the problem or will you commit to making a change and be part of the solution?

    Things to ponder.

    • Re:Is it extreme enough? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 30, 2021 @03:44PM (#61538152)

      > Will you put more CO2 into the atmosphere into by driving your car because it's more convenient? Will you wait until this becomes an annual pattern? Will you tell your children there is nothing you could do?

      I didn't have kids, so I'm neutral. Looks like I can drive guilt free.

      • I didn't have kids, so I'm neutral. Looks like I can drive guilt free.

        Do any of your siblings, cousins, neighbours or friends have kids ?

        • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

          by Anonymous Coward

          They're all white and as far as I know straight. So global warming is just punishment for slavery. I'll drive extra hard now so they never forget about systemic racism.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by GlennC ( 96879 )

          Do any of your siblings, cousins, neighbours or friends have kids?

          That assumes that the OP actually has family and/or friends, or that he cares about them (or anyone else, for that matter).

          From the original statement, I highly doubt at least the second case.

      • I didn't have kids, so I'm neutral.

        No, you're just not as carbon emissive as those who did have kids. There's nothing neutral about the way *any* person has lived their modern life. But hey I compare myself to an American who owns a 5L V8 and that makes me feel better too.

        But climate doesn't give a crap how I feel.

    • Re:Is it extreme enough? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 30, 2021 @04:53PM (#61538406)

      Are these weather patterns extreme enough for you to actually change?

      nope

      Will you continue to say you'll buy an EV in the future but make no plans to do so?

      I'll say what I've always said: I'll buy an EV when the price, range, and recharge ability fit my needs. Not there yet. I mainly drive for long distance trips a few times a year, not daily commutes.

      I would love an electric car. Less maintenance. Better acceleration. Avoiding gas stations. I looked at electric for my last purchase, and they're not where I need yet. Range too small, recharge time too high, stations too hard to find. For daily commute, they're great. Not for my driving needs.

      Will you put more CO2 into the atmosphere into by driving your car because it's more convenient?

      damn right I will. I didn't make the world, buddy - I just have to live in it.

      Will you wait until this becomes an annual pattern?

      nah, still won't change then. my decisions are driven by my needs, not by inclement weather.

      Will you tell your children there is nothing you could do?

      I'll tell my children I did what I could when it was practical. If they don't like it, tough cookies. They can do it their way. I do it mine.

      Will you point to other sources of CO2 and say, "whatabout them"?

      Going after passenger cars is swatting at gnats when buzzards are pecking you. Industrial, power generation, semi trucks, agriculture are much bigger contributors. We can address cars too, when they offer me a decent alternative. But the focus should be on the biggest emitters. Get rid of Hummers and Ford F150s. Eliminating Priuses is wasted effort.

      Will you continue to be part of the problem or will you commit to making a change and be part of the solution?

      False dichotomy. I'll continue looking for opportunities to improve within my budget, without radically altering my lifestyle. Give me a better alternative and I'll take it. Wind and solar energy are there. Electric cars are getting there.

      Meanwhile I'll continue dismissing asshats like you who think that Starbucks switching to paper straws accomplishes anything remotely useful.

      • Wish I could give you mod points, but I've already commented elsewhere in this thread. Completely agree though. The F150 Lightning gives me hope, but just like Tesla has never sold a 32K Model 3, Ford will never sell a lightning for less than 85k. I'm just not in a place where I can pony up that kind of cash for a truck (I live in the west and I use my actual truck features no less than once a week, so can't really downsize). But it still gives me hope because I think it will finally get GM, Ram and Toy

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by c-A-d ( 77980 )

        > I would love an electric car. Less maintenance. Better acceleration. Avoiding gas stations. I looked at electric for my last purchase, and they're not where I need yet. Range too small, recharge time too high, stations too hard to find. For daily commute, they're great. Not for my driving needs.

        The only EV that I would consider at this point is the Mitsibishi Outland PHEV. It doesn't have much EV range, but it has an ICE to make up the difference. The system is set up as a gas-over-electric, the same s

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by znrt ( 2424692 )

      fair point. and it stands to reason that those with most of the responsibility about it and the most to lose should be first to move.

      the thing is that those would be our elites and i don't see them moving. at all, because flapping around just doesn't count. so ... happy doom century everyone!! \o/

    • Has it been established that 'global warming' is responsible for increases in variance of jet stream?

    • At this point I'm honestly pondering whether I should simply become part of the problem. If people with kids, and people who are young enough that they will get to feel the consequences can't be assed to give a shit, why the fuck should I, who is old enough that this whole crap will probably only arrive where I live when I'm decomposing already?

      I'm sick and tired trying to convince people that they should do something to ensure their survival. At some point you just have to accept that the species is fucked

      • At some point you just have to accept that the species is fucked, let it die out and hope that whatever comes next is smarter.

        Humanity is resourceful and widespread enough that it won't die out. We are the weed of the animal kingdom.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by lorinc ( 2470890 )

      global CO2 released = CO2 released per person * number of person

      If you don't want to change your lifestyle, just have fewer/no kids.

      • If you don't want to change your lifestyle, just have fewer/no kids.

        The problem is, the smart people know this to be the case and will have fewer/no kids whereas the poorly educated and/or religious who don't understand basic science will continue to procreate at will.

        It's a known fact the more educated a person is the fewer kids they have. Even the children of immigrants, where large families are the norm, who get an education have fewer kids than their parents. Women, since they're the ones who have to

    • Choice of car doesnt matter that much. They all take lots of resources to manufacture.

      If you really want to help, stop eating meat.
      Buy an older car so that we dont have to make so many new ones.

      Buying expensive luxury vehicles is not the solution regular non affluent folks need to do. If they even could.

    • On a yardstick representing the existence of human "ugly-bags-of-mostly-water" on this planet, the UBMW's have been recording the daily temperature high and low for about the last 200 microns of the yardstick. Calling this "extreme" is somewhat ludicrous when there are 35800 microns for which there is no data.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gTsiros ( 205624 )

      What option do I have? If I use public transport for commute I sacrifice 1 more hour out of my already miniscule waking lifetime and in the summer that i tried it I got to work with a massive headache because during the commute it was walk in the sun, get in the cold bus, get out in the heat, get in the cold subway, get out in the heat, get in the cold bus, walk in the sun, get in the cold office.

      I have no fucking options. STOP BLAMING US. FUCK YOU.

  • Looks like they called it a year in advance (Score:5, Insightful)

    by NFN_NLN ( 633283 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2021 @03:47PM (#61538168)

    https://www.theguardian.com/wo... [theguardian.com]

    The dramatic improvements in air quality associated with the coronavirus lockdown could increase sunlight and affect weather patterns, scientists say.

    With factories closed and roads relatively empty, air pollution in cities across Asia, Europe and the US has dropped by as much as 60% in recent weeks. The lack of haze has made skies bluer and some people in northern India have been able to see the Himalayas for the first time in 30 years.

    It also means that with fewer particles and polluting gases to hinder its path, more sunlight is able to reach the Earth’s surface.

    • Re: (Score:2, Offtopic)

      by DontBeAMoran ( 4843879 )

      some people in northern India have been able to see the Himalayas for the first time in 30 years

      I call bullsh... oh wait, northern India.
      Don't ask me why, but at first I read that as northern Indiana. /facepalm

    • This heatwave is in the Pacific Northwest, not in India. It's entirely normal for us not to have a choking haze of carcinogens blocking our views of the mountains. (Now that we have "fire seasons" we do get to enjoy breathing deadly soup for a month or two each year, but COVID lockdowns didn't really make that any better)

    • Re:Looks like they called it a year in advance (Score:4, Informative)

      by quantaman ( 517394 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2021 @04:18PM (#61538312)

      https://www.theguardian.com/wo... [theguardian.com]

      The dramatic improvements in air quality associated with the coronavirus lockdown could increase sunlight and affect weather patterns, scientists say.

      With factories closed and roads relatively empty, air pollution in cities across Asia, Europe and the US has dropped by as much as 60% in recent weeks. The lack of haze has made skies bluer and some people in northern India have been able to see the Himalayas for the first time in 30 years.

      It also means that with fewer particles and polluting gases to hinder its path, more sunlight is able to reach the Earth’s surface.

      I can't find any charts, but roads have largely re-filled (though there's still more remote workers) and I suspect factories have been back to normal for a while.

      But more to the point, Grande Prairie has a population of 60k, it is the biggest city for 500km, [wikipedia.org] and it has a high of 39C today [weather.gc.ca]. A pandemic driven reduction in traffic pollution is not affecting the thermometers in Grande Prairie.

      I think this is more likely exactly what it looks like, a crazy heat wave made slightly crazier by global warming.

    • Particulate pollution enhances condensation (nucleation) and changes rain patterns.

  • Climate change is real and it is happening now (Score:4, Informative)

    by JoshuaZ ( 1134087 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2021 @03:57PM (#61538234) Homepage
    Climate change is happening and it is happening now. And we're all going to suffer from it. But what we do now can still help mitigate how bad climate change is and possibly give us more time to adjust to to do largescale things like geoengineering. The good news is that CO2 output is essentially decoupled from economic growth at this point, so we know that trying to help doesn't create economic harm. https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/absolute-decoupling-of-economic-growth-and-emissions-in-32-countries [thebreakthrough.org]. So what can you do to help?

    In terms of personal activity, you can use less carbon. Easy ways to do so are to eat less meat, use more public transit and drive less. If you do need a new car, consider getting an electric car or hybrid. (In almost the entire US, an electric car will produce less CO2. West Virginia and Wyoming right now are two of the few possible exceptions due to their massive coal use https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/10/28/climate/how-electricity-generation-changed-in-your-state-election.html [nytimes.com]). You can also buy solar panels for your house, use less air conditioning, and get more insulation for your home, which will take less energy to then heat in the winter. All of these things are not just good for the environment but save you money.

    In terms of politics, you can support candidates who support systemic changes which will reduce CO2. In the US, this largely means donating to Democratic candidates, although some are substantially better than others. Unfortunately, Republicans who supported dealing with climate change are often people like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Christie Todd Whitman who have been largely pushed out of the party. (And that's even with Whitman being a very vocal supporter of nuclear power.) If you want to support clean energy without supporting any specific candidates or policies, then you can donate here to a group which lobbies for more government support for solar power https://lets-fund.org/clean-energy/ [lets-fund.org]. I don't know politics outside the US well enough to recommend specific actions for most other countries.

    In terms of charitable work, you can donate to charities which help get more solar and wind power. For solar power, there are two good ones. Everybody Solar https://www.everybodysolar.org/ [everybodysolar.org] helps get solar panels for non-profits like science museums and homeless shelters. The Solar Electric Light Fund https://www.self.org/ [self.org] helps get solar panels for developing countries in locations they don't have electric power. This helps provide resources for severely impoverished people. It also helps make sure that as those countries transition into modernization they don't need to go through the same high fossil fuel use that the rest of the world did. Lastly, for wind power, the New England Wind Fund https://www.greenenergyconsume... [greenenergyconsumers.org] is a good source. They help build more wind power in the North-East of the US. This is good because right now the North East has very little wind power despite having strong winds, so building more wind power there doesn't put any strain on the grid. I don't know of a good charity for nuclear power unfortunately. But donating to these is a good step; every little bit helps.

  • My son is working in a conservation area in Alberta near the BC border. He said the snow was melting so fast that one of the streams was cutting a road in half. He said it looked like someone was taking a huge pressure washer and cutting the road. Also he doesn't have AC and the temperature where he is was almost 25C (45F) higher than normal.
  • Almost 116 degrees is what we call 115 degrees.

  • hah (Score:2)

    by ChoGGi ( 522069 )

    Just got my air con installed today :)

    We're only getting a measly 37C in AB.

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