At least 134 people have died suddenly in the Vancouver area of Canada since Friday, according to figures released by the city’s police department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The Vancouver Police Department alone said it had responded to more than 65 sudden deaths since Friday, most of them “heat-related.” As Canada bakes into an unprecedented hot spell, here’s how the situation developed and how long it will last:
How did more than 130 people suddenly die?
The deaths came as Canada set a new all-time high temperature record for the third day in a row on Tuesday, reaching 121 degrees Fahrenheit (49.5 degrees Celsius) in Lytton, British Columbia, about 155 miles (250 kilometers) east of Vancouver. The country’s weather service, Environment Canada, reported.
“Vancouver has never experienced heat like this, and sadly, dozens are dying from it,” Police Sergeant Steve Edison told AFP.
What is the reason for this unprecedented rise in temperature?
Experts suggest that a millennium heat dome is behind the weather phenomenon, in addition to man-made climate erosion over the years in the ecological balance.
What Exactly Is a Heat Dome?
According to a CBC report, a heat dome is essentially a mountain of warm air that builds up in a highly wavy jet stream, with extreme fluctuations. When the jet stream – a band of strong air in the upper levels of the atmosphere – becomes too wavy and elongated, the pressure system can pinch and stop or become stuck in places it normally wouldn’t.
In this case, a ridge of high pressure, which is a heat dome, has become lodged in the Pacific Northwest. It is acting like a block in the atmosphere, not allowing the weather to move.
How is this causing the high temperature?
In areas of high pressure, such as heat domes, sinking air occurs. It compresses the air on the ground and through compression heats the air column. In addition, winds are moving downward from the mountains into cities such as Seattle and Portland; That downward motion also causes heating.
How long will it run?
Experts believe that the high temperature should decrease within this week.
Why is it called ‘Once-in-a-Millennium’? Won’t this happen for the next 1000 years?
Under normal circumstances, statisticians say, this event would occur once in 1,000 years. However, this is more likely to happen soon due to artificial heating of the environment due to man-made causes.
How have we contributed to this? what does the future hold?
It is primarily climate change that is causing this record-setting temperature to become more frequent. Globally, the decade of 2019 was the warmest ever recorded, and the five warmest years have all occurred within the past five years.
Temperatures in the US Pacific Northwest cities of Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington reached levels not seen since record-keeping began in the 1940s: 115 degrees Fahrenheit in Portland and 108 in Seattle on Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
Vancouver on the Pacific Coast has recorded temperatures of 86 degrees Fahrenheit (or about 20 degrees above seasonal norms) for several days. Inland along the Fraser River delta, it felt like 111 degrees Fahrenheit Tuesday, climatologists said, due to high humidity.
“British Colombians are in the midst of the hottest week ever, and the consequences are devastating for families and communities,” British Columbia Premier John Horgan said at a news conference.
The scorching heat coupled with a severe drought created perfect conditions for several fires to be extinguished over the weekend, and a fire on the California-Oregon border had burned nearly 1,500 acres (600 ha) as of Monday morning.
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