Hottest Places in Canada
A heat dome hanging over British Columbia in late June 2021 melted Canada's long-standing record high temperature. Up until then, the highest temperature officially recorded in Canada was 45 °C (113 °F) on July 5, 1937 at Midale and at Yellow Grass, two small towns in southeastern Saskatchewan.
That record high lasted nearly 84 years and was rarely approached. Temperatures above 43 °C hadn't been felt anywhere across Canada since the 1940s.
The 2021 BC heat wave suddenly pushed temperatures well past the previous record and into the upper 40s Celsius. Several weather stations across the southern BC interior repeatedly topped the long-standing national high. Kelowna, Kamloops, Ashcroft, Lytton and Lillooet all saw their temperature climb above 45 °C on one or more days from June 27 to 30, 2021. A new highest temperature for Canada was set at 49.6 °C (121.4 °F) recorded on June 29, 2021 at Lytton, BC. The next day a wildfire raged through Lytton, destroying most of the town.
Western Canada's Highest Temperatures
The hottest places in Canada are in the southern prairies and the southern interior of British Columbia.
Heat waves of over 40 °C (104 °F) have repeatedly swept through towns and cities in southern Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the driest regions of British Columbia.
Canada's hottest days ever include July 11 and 12, 1936 in Manitoba and Ontario; July 5, 1937 in Saskatchewan; July 16 to 18, 1941 in BC and Alberta; and June 27 to 30, 2021 in BC and AB. Each of these extreme hot spells set records in several towns and cities.
Local heat records got smashed in late June 2021 across an exceptionally large swath of BC and Alberta. Temperatures above 40 °C were recorded from Port Alberni on Vancouver Island to Quesnel in central BC to Cranbrook in southeastern BC and to Grande Prairie in northwestern Alberta.
| Location | °C | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Lytton, British Columbia | 49.6 | June 29, 2021 |
| Ashcroft, British Columbia | 48.1 | June 29, 2021 |
| Kamloops, British Columbia | 47.3 | June 29, 2021 |
| Lillooet, British Columbia | 46.8 | June 29, 2021 |
| Kelowna, British Columbia | 45.7 | June 29, 2021 |
| Osoyoos, British Columbia | 45.0 | June 29, 2021 |
| Midale and Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan | 45.0 | July 5, 1937 |
| Clearwater, British Columbia | 44.9 | June 30, 2021 |
| Summerland, British Columbia | 44.7 | June 30, 2021 |
| Merritt, British Columbia | 44.5 | June 29, 2021 |
| St Albans, Manitoba | 44.4 | July 11, 1936 |
| Emerson, Manitoba | 44.4 | July 12, 1936 |
| Vernon, British Columbia | 44.2 | June 29, 2021 |
| Penticton, British Columbia | 44.2 | June 30, 2021 |
| Princeton, British Columbia | 44.0 | June 29, 2021 |
| Brandon and Morden, Manitoba | 43.3 | July 11, 1936 |
| Regina, Saskatchewan | 43.3 | July 5, 1937 |
| Fort Macleod, Alberta | 43.3 | July 18, 1941 |
| Pemberton, British Columbia | 43.2 | June 28, 2021 |
| Castlegar, British Columbia | 43.1 | June 30, 2021 |
| Squamish, British Columbia | 43.0 | June 28, 2021 |
| Abbotsford, British Columbia | 42.9 | June 28, 2021 |
| Whistler Village, British Columbia | 42.9 | June 29, 2021 |
| Oliver, British Columbia | 42.8 | July 27, 1939 |
| Port Alberni, British Columbia | 42.7 | June 28, 2021 |
| Spences Bridge, BC | 42.5 | July 23, 1994 |
| Medicine Hat, Alberta | 42.2 | July 12, 1886 |
| Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan | 41.7 | August 6, 1949 |
| Quesnel, British Columbia | 41.7 | June 29, 2021 |
| Grande Prairie, Alberta | 41.5 | June 29, 2021 |
| Creston, British Columbia | 41.4 | June 29, 2021 |
| Hope, British Columbia | 41.4 | June 28, 2021 |
| Jasper, Alberta | 41.2 | June 30, 2021 |
| Golden, British Columbia | 40.9 | June 30, 2021 |
| Winnipeg, Manitoba | 40.6 | August 7, 1949 |
| Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | 40.6 | June 5, 1988 |
| Cranbrook, British Columbia | 40.1 | June 29, 2021 |
| Fort McMurray Airport, Alberta | 40.1 | June 30, 2021 |
Hottest Temperatures in Eastern Canada
A few places in Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador have also recorded temperatures over 40 °C. Unlike elsewhere in Canada, the other maritime provinces have yet to top 40 °C.
The hottest two days for Canada's maritime provinces were August 18 and 19, 1935 when records were set in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The temperatures of mid-August 1935 set many records that have remained unbeaten for over 70 years.
| Location | °C | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Atikokan, Ontario | 42.2 | July 11 & 12, 1936 |
| Northwest River, Labrador | 41.7 | Aug 11, 1914 |
| Thunder Bay, Ontario | 40.3 | Aug 7, 1983 |
| Windsor, Ontario | 40.2 | June 25, 1988 |
| Temiscamingue, Quebec | 40.0 | July 6, 1921 |
| Woodstock, New Brunswick | 39.4 | Aug 18, 1935 |
| Rexton, New Brunswick | 39.4 | Aug 19, 1935 |
| Collegeville, Nova Scotia | 38.3 | Aug 19, 1935 |
| Charlottetown, PEI | 36.7 | Aug 19, 1935 |