Heat warning expanded to Nicola area as wildfire smoke continues to blanket Kamloops area

MERRITT, B.C. — A heat warning has been expanded to include the Nicola Valley as wildfire smoke continues to blanket parts of the Thompson-Okanagan.

The yellow-level heat warning was issued around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday (July 22) morning, adding to similar warnings already in place for the South Thompson, the Shuswap, the Fraser Canyon, the North Thompson and the North Okanagan.

Heat warnings also cover the 100 Mile House and Williams Lake areas, as well as the Similkameen, the Boundary and West Kootenay regions as well as parts of Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, as Environment Canada says a period of elevated temperatures is expected until Thursday.

“A ridge of high pressure will bring elevated temperatures to the region,” the Wednesday alert said. “Daytime highs are expected to be in the mid to high 30s with overnight lows in the mid to high teens. Over the Fraser Canyon, temperatures are expected to reach 40 degrees this afternoon.”