ECCC links climate change to rising frequency of severe Canadian heat waves

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has attributed the intensifying severity and frequency of Canadian heat waves to human-caused climate change, which has made almost all major heat waves more extreme.  

Using its Rapid Extreme Weather Event Attribution system, ECCC compared current climate conditions to pre-industrial levels to assess the effects of human activities on recent weather patterns. 

During summer 2024, ECCC scientists analyzed 37 major heat waves across 17 Canadian regions, identifying that five of these were at least one to two times more likely due to human influence, 28 were two to 10 times more likely, and four were over 10 times more likely.  

This system aims to offer Canadians a clearer understanding of how human emissions impact weather events and conditions, providing insights that can support more effective planning and responses. 

According to ECCC, Canada’s climate is warming twice as fast as the global average, leading to earlier snowmelts, more intense heat waves, and conditions conducive to wildfires.  

With an anticipated expansion in 2025, ECCC’s system will begin analyzing extreme precipitation events, while this winter, ECCC will start assessing links between climate change and extreme cold events. 

The economic and human costs of extreme weather in Canada have escalated.  

ECCC notes that ‘once in 100 years’ weather events are becoming more frequent and more severe, as highlighted by the years 2020 through 2023, which rank among the highest years for insurance claims due to climate-related events.  

This trend surpasses all but the most extreme incidents, including the 2016 Fort McMurray fires, the 2013 floods in Calgary and Toronto, and the 1998 Quebec ice storm. 

Insurance statistics further illustrate the trend: insurers spent an average of $400m per year on catastrophic claims in Canada between 1983 and 2008, a figure that has since risen to almost $2bn annually. 

Additionally, 2023 was the second warmest year on record for Canada since national temperature tracking began in 1948, and the country’s annual average temperature has increased by 2.0 °C over this period. 

ECCC urges Canadians to actively monitor weather alerts, develop emergency preparedness plans, and adjust travel when necessary to mitigate extreme weather impacts.  

The WeatherCAN app, ECCC’s official website, Weatheradio, and Hello Weather (1-833-794-3556) are available for weather updates and alert notifications to help Canadians stay informed and safe.