Did something feel a little bit different about the most recent heat wave in Metro Vancouver?
If you felt like the air was abnormally muggy in the region over the long weekend, you weren't wrong.
While the soaring temperatures weren't completely out of the ordinary, the humidity likely made them feel unbearable at times — particularly if you were trying to sleep without an air conditioner.
The Weather Network says Vancouver saw unprecedented humidity over the long weekend, breaking the all-time dew point record. On Friday (July 29), the city recorded a dew point temperature of 23 C, which broke the previous record for mugginess in this "typically temperate city."
"Higher dew points indicate higher moisture levels in the air. Dew points below 10 C are generally dry and comfortable, while things start feeling sticky when the dew point climbs above 15 C," explains the report.
While anything above 20 C feels decidedly muggy, the weather channel says that Vancouver's 23 C dew point is typical of what you'd expect in Texas or Alabama at this time of year.
The 2021 heat wave saw extreme temperatures, but many communities along the South Coast had seen six consecutive days or more of temperatures at 30 C or higher as of July 30, 2022.
For inland communities, such as Lytton, the heat was significantly worse, with several days reaching 40 C or higher.
Metro Vancouver weather forecast: August preview
The Weather Network calls for B.C. to return to the "cooler pattern" that dominated the beginning of summer prior to the heat wave for the first part of August..
Starting on Monday (Aug. 2), the Metro Vancouver area is forecast to see more "comfortable temperatures." The cooler pattern that dominated most of the summer prior to the heat wave is expected to return to most of B.C., too.
Periods of warmer weather are expected during mid and late-August, however. That said, temperatures aren't forecast to get as hot as they were during this heat wave.
