Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Canada’s far north set the highest temperature records ever recorded

By Karen Graham
Published July 12, 2023

Multiple areas in Yukon and the Northwest Territories are facing higher-than-normal temperatures, breaking records that have stood for decades. 
Source - Akum20, CC SA 4.0

Canada’s northern regions are seeing an unprecedented heat wave leading to some of the hottest days ever recorded.

According to Christopher Burt, an extreme-weather historian, the temperature soared to as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the Northwest Territories on Saturday – the hottest temperature ever measured north of 65 degrees latitude in the Western Hemisphere, reports the Washington Post.

Multiple areas in Yukon and the Northwest Territories are facing higher-than-normal temperatures, breaking records that have stood for decades, and raising serious concerns about the health of people living in this region who are not used to the excessive heat.

On Tuesday, reports CTV News Canada, Environment Canada issued heat warnings for parts of Yukon and N.W.T. with expected daytime temperatures upwards of 29 C (84 F). The warnings stretch as far as Inuvik, N.W.T., which is 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of the Arctic Circle.

The heat reaching the northern tip of N.W.T. is alarming for scientists as other communities across the territory are seeing even higher temperatures.

Jesse Wagar, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada, told CTV News four of the five hottest temperatures ever seen in the N.W.T. were recorded in the last eight years.

“This is sort of the poster child for climate change,” Wagar said. “The rate of the warming in the Arctic is just incredible to watch year over year…it is alarming.”

The 2023 wildfire season shatters records


This latest round of extreme heat comes as Canada battles the worst wildfire season it has ever seen, reports The BBC. To date, wildfires have burned more than 9 million hectares (22.2 million acres) of the country, shattering a 34-year record.

Over 155,000 people have been forced from their homes, the highest figure in 40 years, with more than 4,500 evacuees across Canada – the majority of whom are First Nations, reports The Guardian.

Michael Norton, director general of the Northern Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service told reporters: “Drought is a major contributing factor affecting parts of all provinces and territories, intensifying in some regions.”

He added: “When coupled with forecasts for ongoing above-normal temperatures across most of the country, it is anticipated that many parts of Canada will continue to see above-normal fire activity.”

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