3 days ago
Early season heat warning issued for B.C. this weekend
The Vancouver skyline and large freighters are seen through the heat rising off the water of English Bay, B.C. on Monday, May 14, 2012. (Johnathan Hayward/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
The first weekend of June is set to be a scorcher for much of B.C., with parts of the Lower Mainland and the Interior placed under a heat warning until early next week.
Environment Canada issued high-temperature warnings for Victoria and the eastern regions of Vancouver Island, Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast and the Southern Gulf Islands, alongside much of the southern Interior Friday morning.
The weather agency said a ridge of high pressure is bringing high temperatures to the region, with the mercury expected to rise as the weekend continues.
Daytime highs are expected to reach the upper 20s to low 30s, with the southwestern interior expected to face temperatures in the low to mid 30s.
The spike in temperatures comes after the province's Emergency Management Ministry issued an air quality warning for parts of northern B.C. as wildfire season gets underway.
In a warning from Environment Canada Friday, the weather agency said the impacts of the wildfire smoke in the northeastern region are likely to last 24 to 48 hours.
