Canada witnesses record-breaking heatwave as temperature touches 47.9°C, schools shut

Extreme heat continues in British Columbia as Lytton broke the record for Canada's all-time high, with a temperature reaching 47.9 degree Celsius on June 29. Lytton had earlier broken the record of highest temperature on June 27 with the temperature hitting 46.6 degree Celsius. The reading by Environment Canada in Lytton surpassed the previous national high of 45 degree Celsius, which was set at Yellow Grass and Midale in Saskatchewan in 1937. Extreme heat in the province of British Columbia has forced some school, mostly in the Lower Mainland, to cancel classes on June 28.

Heatwave in Canada

The school districts that have announced closures on June 29 included Vancouver, Mission, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Abbotsford, Langley, Delta, New Westminster, Sun Peaks, Burnaby, Richmond, Sea to Sky, reported CBC News. Mission and North Vancouver schools will reopen on June 29. Nanaimo Ladysmith school districts had asked parents to keep kids home on June 28 due to the heatwave. In their letter to the parents, they mentioned that the teachers will remain in school for the students who choose to attend schools. Buses will also come to pick and drop students from their home. 

Sooke School District has asked parents to decide on whether they want to send children to school on June 28. They further mentioned that the schools remain open but buses have been cancelled. They told parents to monitor email for important information from the school. Sooke school had asked parents to keep their children at home if possible on June 28. In the Facebook post, they mentioned that schools would remain open but classes would not function as usual. Buses were cancelled due to the heatwave. 

As the US Pacific Northwest sweltered to the south, a heat warning also was in effect for most of Western Canada. The weather agency said numerous daily temperature records had been broken across British Columbia. The weather agency expected the daytime temperature to reach 47 degree Celsius in the Fraser Canyon on June 28 and June 29. "The all-time Canadian temperature record which was set just yesterday may be broken again today", the weather agency said on Twitter. 

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Inputs from AP