In the same week that the entire Lower Mainland was placed on a severe drought warning, temperatures also spiked to all-time highs for this time of year in many areas.
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It started on Wednesday, Oct. 12, when Pitt Meadows and the surrounding area reached a record-setting high of 22.3 C, beating out the previous record of 21.5 C set in 1986.
Oct. 13 reached even higher temperatures, peaking at 24 C, followed by 23.3 C on Oct. 14.
Saturday, Oct. 15, saw a significant jump in temperature, reaching 27.5 C, which greatly surpassed the old record of 22.5 C in 1991.
Oct. 16 was the last in this string of record-setting days, where the temperature reached 26.1 C.
All of these consistently high temperatures have further exacerbated the ongoing drought, and pose a significant threat to salmon spawning, according to the Alouette River Management Society (ARMS).
“The drought situation will have a very detrimental effect on the spawning,” said Ken Stewart, president of ARMS. “They could get starved for water. We’re really quite concerned.”
READ MORE: Maple Ridge salmon groups worry drought will hurt spawning
However, there is some relief in sight, with Environment Canada forecasting rain every day from Friday to Monday (Oct. 21-24), and projecting daily highs of 12 C or less.
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