Earth Signs:

More than 230 dead in Canada amid unprecedented heatwave breaking temperature records after temperature records

Strange Sounds

Police in the Vancouver area have responded to more than 230 sudden deaths within 4 days (Friday-Monday), about 100 more than the average for a four-day period. As of 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, officers had responded to 20 sudden death calls that day alone. Most were elderly or had underlying health conditions, with heat often a contributing factor.

Canada broke its temperature record for a third straight day on Tuesday – 49.6°C (121.3°F) in Lytton, British Columbia.

The US north-west has also seen record highs – and a number of fatalities.

The heat over western parts of Canada and the US has been caused by a dome of static high-pressure hot air stretching from California to the Arctic territories. Temperatures have been easing in coastal areas but there is not much respite for inland regions.

The number of heat-related fatalities is likely to rise as some areas say they have responded to sudden death incidents but have yet to collate the numbers.

In Vancouver alone, heat is believed to have been a contributing factor in the unexpected deaths of 65 people since Friday.

“I’ve been a police officer for 15 years and I’ve never experienced the volume of sudden deaths that have come in in such a short period of time,” police sergeant Steve Addison said. Three or four a day is the normal number.

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