Heat dome over Canada: absolute record of 49.5°C, dozens dead

 Steph Deschamps / June 30, 2021

Canada recorded a record heat Tuesday for the third consecutive day, with the mercury reaching 49.5 degrees in Lytton, a village northeast of Vancouver, in the midst of a heat wave in the western United States, according to a Canadian weather service.

At 4:20 p.m., the Lytton station recorded 49.5 degrees, breaking daily and all-time temperature records again, for the third consecutive day, tweeted Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECC).

Dozens of people have died suddenly in recent days in the Vancouver area, a spike in deaths likely related to the heat wave that has hit the western United States.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP, federal police) and Vancouver city police announced separately that at least 134 people have died suddenly since Friday in the region of Canada's Pacific coast metropolis, which is experiencing a historic heat wave, as is the western United States.

Vancouver has never experienced such heat and, unfortunately, dozens of people have died as a result, Vancouver police spokesman Steve Addison said in a statement.

For their part, the province's medical examiner's office said they have recorded a significant increase in the number of reported deaths since last weekend where extreme heat has played a role.

These services received 233 reports of deaths in the province between Friday and Monday, compared to an average of about 130 for the same period in normal times, they said in a statement.

We believe that heat contributed to the majority of deaths, the federal police also said, adding that most of the victims are elderly.