2nd day of heat wave toppled more P.E.I. temperature records

Thursday's heat was enough to scorch new records into Prince Edward Island's logbooks for a second day in a row.

New daily highs for June 20 were recorded at four weather reporting stations across P.E.I., according to data released Friday morning by Environment Canada.

Charlottetown was Thursday's hot spot with a high of 32 C, besting the previous record of 28.5 C set in 2001.

Summerside's new record of 30.8 C on Thursday was up from 29.9, which had also stood for 23 years.

Both St. Peters and East Point shattered 1976 records for maximum temperatures.

East Point saw a high of 29.8 C, a full two degrees warmer than the record for the same date 47 years ago.

St. Peters Bay saw temperatures soar 31.3 C on June 20. The previous record for that date was 28.9 C.

Records fell Wednesday, too

Days where the temperature reaches 30 C are unusual on P.E.I., but they are becoming more common. From 1960 to 2010, Charlottetown averaged one day a year that hot. In the last six years, the average has been close to three.

On Wednesday, the first day of the heat wave, the maximum recorded temperature at Charlottetown Airport was 31.4 C, topping the previous June 19 high of 29.5 C set in 2020.

Thursday also saw significant thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Downpours of rain were localized, however, making recording total amounts more challenging, said CBC meteorologist Jay Scotland. Amounts generally ranged from a trace to 10-11 mm.