There have been a number of sudden deaths in Canada over the last few days as a sweltering heat wave has gripped the Pacific Northwest.
Heat wave causes deaths in Canada
Per The Associated Press, police in the Vancouver, Canada, area have received a number of sudden-death calls during the ongoing heat wave.
- In fact, Cpl. Mike Kalanj, of Burnaby Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said there were 25 sudden-death calls in 24 hours on Mondays.
- Kalanj told The Associated Press that the deaths were still being investigated. Many of the deaths were seniors.
Canada heat wave, explained
Canada has been shattering heat records because of the heat wave in the area. In fact, Canada broke a record for the third straight day with temperatures hitting about 121 degrees in Lytton, British Columbia, according to BBC News.
Experts told BBC News that climate change will likely increase the number of extreme weather events like this heat wave. But it’s hard to say that climate change created this single event.
Why is there a heat wave?
As I wrote about for the Deseret News, the massive heat wave scorched parts of the Pacific Northwest and Canada because of a heat dome, which “is essentially a mountain of warm air built into a very wavy jet stream, with extreme undulations,” according to CBS News.
Heat domes will happen when there’s “a strong change (or gradient) in ocean temperatures from west to east in the tropical Pacific Ocean during the preceding winter,” according to the National Ocean Service.
Sadly, there’s no say in when the heat wave will end. Per USA Today, the triple-digit temperatures are expected to last through the rest of the week.