Here comes a heat wave, B.C.

Temperatures across many parts of British Columbiaare expected to rise dramatically over the next five days, topping out in the mid-30s in some places on Sunday.

The sunny and hot weather could have far-reaching effects as some regions in the province are already dealing with smoky skies from wildfires and the threat of flooding from rapid snowmelt.

John Innes, a professor in the faculty of forestry at theUniversity of British Columbia, says he's especially worried about the wildfirerisk in the northeast as temperatures rise.

He says it looks like a "serious weather event'' is occurring,with a ridge of pressure expected to produce prolonged heat withlittle to no rain in the forecast.

As of Wednesday morning there were 42fires burning across B.C., most of whichare small, but the area they've scorched has grown significantly inrecent days.

In Fort St. John, where a 29-square-kilometre wildfire is burningnearby, the temperature is expected to hit 32 C on Sunday.Environment Canada is also forecasting a high of 34 C in Kamloopson Sunday and just one degree cooler in Prince George.

WATCH | Here's what Vancouverites are saying about the potential heat wave:

Vancouver residents and tourists react to potential weekend heat wave

1 year ago

Duration 0:36

Temperatures across many parts of British Columbia are expected to rise dramatically over the next five days. In some places, the mercury is expected to reach the mid-30s on Sunday. Some residents and tourists in Vancouver tell CBC they are prepared for the warmer temperatures.

B.C.'s River Forecast Centre saidabove-seasonal temperatures have melted abouta quarter of the province's snowpack, a pace that was already muchfaster than normal.

CacheCreek in the southern Interior remains under a flood warning as more evacuation orders were announced on Tuesday.

Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma has saidthe forecast doesnot call for a heat dome like the one that killed hundreds of peoplein the summer of 2021.

A heat dome occurs when a high-pressure system traps heat near the earth's surface and gets held in place by a blocked jet stream.

Ma said one of the characteristics of a heat dome is thattemperatures remain high in the evening.

"We are not anticipating that kind of scenario here," Ma said. "There may be times during the day when the temperature rises above 30 degrees in some areas of the province, but we do anticipate that the temperatures will cool down over the evening."

But heat can still be a risk to human health, and the ministry provides funding for local governments and First Nations to set up cooling centres, Ma said.

She said high temperatures can affectmedically vulnerable people, and she encouraged British Columbiansto check in on seniors in their family or communityduring hot weather.

Get prepared

This week is emergency preparedness week, where many municipalities, such as Abbotsford in the Fraser Valley, are advocating for residents to prepare emergency plans, grab-and-go bags and other emergency kits.

Environment Canada says temperatures will reach 35 C on Sunday in Abbotsford.