Regions of Greater Victoria hit a balmy 15.3 C on Monday (Jan. 29) as several communities in the region broke daily high temperature records from Gonzales through to the Malahat.
A mild air mass lead to above seasonal temperatures for many areas across the province, according to Environment Canada, the agencies that tracks the information.
Esquimalt, Gonzales, Victoria harbour, Hartland and the University of Victoria all defeated a record of 13.3 C set in 1931 with a high temp of 15.3 C, recorded at the Gonzales station.
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Malahat was nearly two degrees warmer than the 1992 record of 12.6 at 14.2.
Victoria airport tied its warmest day set in 1995 at 13.1.
Hartland also recorded the highest low temperature at 10 C defeating the 1998 low of 8.5.
Temperature records are derived from a selection of historical stations in each geographic area.
Records for most stations that hit highs Monday have been kept since 1874 with the exception of the Victoria International Airport, where records have been kept since 1914 and Malahat which started in 1986.
The unseasonable warmth brought by an atmospheric river has shattered records — some almost a century old — at more than 30 B.C. locations, with the mercury passing 18 C in the Lower Mainland.
Environment Canada says the daily high temperature at Vancouver’s airport hit 14.3 C on Monday, breaking the previous record of 13.3 C in 1940.
The mercury hit a national high of 18.2 C in Abbotsford and 17.3 C in West Vancouver, both about three degrees beyond previous daily records.
— with a file from the Canadian Press
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