• Weather A "historic" heat wave suffocates Canada and the Northwestern United States

Several dozen people died suddenly between Monday and Tuesday in the

Vancouver

area

, deaths likely related to the heat wave hitting western Canada and parts of the northwestern United States, Canadian federal police announced Tuesday. .

Two Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RPMC) offices in the Vancouver region have announced that

at least 69 people have died suddenly

since Monday, when the heat wave reached its peak temperatures.

"We believe that the heat contributed to most of the deaths,"

said a police statement, adding that the majority of the victims are elderly.

"This time can be deadly for vulnerable members of our community, especially the elderly and those with underlying health problems," said a Burnaby RMPC spokesman, Mike Kalanj,

urging people to "check their selves. dear and neighbors "

.

A message that was immediately echoed by the Prime Minister of the province of British Columbia, John Horgan: "This is the hottest week that the inhabitants of this region have lived," he said at a press conference. "And that has consequences, disastrous consequences for families and communities, but, again, the way to get through this extraordinary moment is to stay together, check (the health status) of the people we know are at risk, make sure we that we have cold compresses in the fridge, "he added.

Vancouver

, located on the Pacific coast, has been registering temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius for several days, well above the 21 degrees that on average there are at this time.

The record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada was broken on Monday

.

It was in the town of Lytton, northeast of Vancouver, where the mercury marked

47.9 degrees

.

"Worrying" heat wave

"The duration of this heat wave is worrying, as there is hardly any respite at night (...). This record heat wave will increase the risk of heat-related illnesses," warned the Canadian Environment Ministry in its web page about weather.

In addition to

British Columbia

, advisories have also been issued for the easternmost provinces of

Alberta

,

Saskatchewan,

and

Manitoba

, as well as parts of the Yukon and Northwest Territories in northern Canada.

Air conditioners and fans are in short supply in the region.

Cities have opened

cooling centers

, in addition to canceling vaccination campaigns against covid-19 and closing schools.

The heat wave also affected US cities south of Vancouver earlier this week, such as

Portland,

Oregon and

Seattle,

Washington, also known for their mild and humid climate, where the temperature reached its

all-time high since they started. records in 1940

. As of Monday afternoon, it was 46.1 degrees Celsius at the Portland airport and 41.6 at the Seattle airport, according to readings by the United States Weather Service (NWS).

The heat wave, which has sparked several wildfires on both sides of the US-Canadian border, is due to a

phenomenon known as a "heat dome," in which high pressures trap hot air in the region

.

"Heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense as concentrations of greenhouse gases cause global temperatures to rise. They start earlier and end later, taking an ever-increasing toll on human health and in health systems, "the Geneva-based World Meteorological Organization warned on Tuesday.

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