Some heat records going back to the 1930s were broken on Vancouver Island Wednesday which Environment Canada says is thanks to a very strong ridge of high pressure.
The weather service says Nanaimo reached 32-degrees Celsius, which breaks the old mark of 30.6-degrees in 1932.
Another 87-year-old record dropped for Greater Victoria according to Environment Canada, with the mercury climbing to 29.6-degrees, 0.7-degrees hotter than the 1932 mark.
In Tofino, the temperature reached 27-degrees, slightly eclipsing the 1936 record of 26.7.
New record-highs of at least 30-degrees were set at Victoria’s Gonzalez Point, Campbell River, Duncan and Port Alberni.
Malahat set a new high at 29.2-degrees.
Forecasters say temperatures should moderate Thursday and Friday, but long range predictions don’t call for much-needed rain on the south coast.
The BC River Forecast Centre has said drought conditions will likely grip the province for the next few weeks.
Last Friday, the province called on Islanders to conserve water as a Level 3 drought was issued for all of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.
The province says several important salmon streams are approaching critical flow thresholds for the ecosystem and fish, including juvenile trout and salmon.
BC Hydro said this week officials are keeping a close watch on conditions in the Campbell River watershed, with concerns raised that salmon may be unable to reach their spawning grounds this year.
BC Hydro says this is the lowest water supply forecast for the area in about 60 years of keeping records.
The heat is also raising concerns for the Cowichan River.
READ MORE: Hot weather proving good for business but bad for Cowichan River
Rocks and gravel banks that typically aren’t seen until much later in the season are now popping up all along the river.
Water temperatures have been recorded at 20-degrees Celsius, a level officials say is four degrees warmer than it should be for salmon in it.
With files from The Canadian Press.
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