With summer approaching and anticipation for rising temperatures growing, our team at Caslys reflected on some of the past heat waves in recent memory and dove into some current extreme temperatures being experienced elsewhere in the world. Analysis Completed using CARD Stack Services June of 2021 stood out to many of us in the Victoria region, with record breaking high temperatures causing city wide stress and even pushing businesses to close due to both health and technical issues. Leveraging our CARD Stack services, the Caslys team accessed analysis-ready datasets to further investigate the 2021 heat dome experienced across southern Vancouver Island. Our approach focused on Land Surface Temperatures (LST) as a key parameter. LST differs from classic weather report temperatures, also know as atmospheric (air) temperatures. It is a measurement of ground or surface temperature to the touch, and is an effective weather index that shows variability for studies at regional and global scales. While weather stations and local sensors can provide temperature data, remotely sensed imagery data has proven to be a great source of accurate temperature distributions at high spatial and/or temporal resolutions¹. After acquiring 10 years of Landsat 8 imagery over multiple June dates for the CRD, the LST was calculated and used in this case study to create strong visual indicators of surface temperature extremes. The June 21st, 2021 image showcases the abnormally high surface temperatures experienced across the Saanich Peninsula, reaching upwards of 40oC. This is more than double the expected June temperature high, which between 2000 and 2024, is about 17oC according to historical data. Areas with forest and tall vegetation were much cooler relative to developed areas with concrete or pavement, causing extreme urban heat island effects. Heat Waves Around the World Parts of Mexico and India recently experienced similar abnormal heat waves […]