Environment Canada says B-C broke or tied at least 27 daily heat records Wednesday.
Lytton in the Fraser Canyon was the hottest spot in the province at 42 degrees, shattering the 2009 record of 35.3 degrees.
Temperature records also fell in Vernon, Whistler, Nelson, Kamloops and Port Alberni, with daytime highs passing 35 degrees.
The weather agency says the hot conditions in many parts of the province will continue into next week.
There's a bit of extra incentive to put away your vehicle keys if you are going out on New Year's Eve in Metro Vancouver. TransLink will again offer free transit across its network in the area.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says people in the Gaza Strip who have Canadian relatives will now be able to apply for temporary visas to Canada, but the federal government cannot guarantee them safe passage out of the besieged Palestinian territory. He expects the program to be up and running by Jan. 9.
A prop for a teacher’s presentation at a Vancouver secondary school set off a lockdown and an emergency response by police on Thursday. Police say a teacher at Lord Byng Secondary called 911 to report a man carrying a rifle into the school, and the emergency response team was dispatched and the school locked down while police searched for a suspect.
Environment Canada has issued two weather warnings relating to heavy rain or snow for northwestern B-C. The agency says the Kitimat region is expected to receive up to 70 millimetres of rain which could set off flash floods and leave pooling water on the roads.
Police in B-C continue to target retail theft this holiday season, with Surrey R-C-M-P announcing multiple arrests during a one-day operation. Police say officers at Guildford Town Centre Mall arrested 15 people this week and recovered about four thousand dollars worth of stolen goods, including liquor, clothing and cosmetics.
One person is dead in a crash involving a dump truck and an S-U-V in Surrey. RCMP say the collision happened this morning in the 12-thousand-200 block of 80 Avenue.