From Abbotsford to Yoho National Park, a heat wave shattered temperature records in British Columbia on Saturday — and meteorologists expect the weather to get even hotter over the next couple of days.
The Village of Lytton was the hottest place in the country Saturday, with a record-breaking 43.2 C according to Environment Canada. The previous record there was set in 2006, at 39.9 C.
Other notable highs include the Fraser Valley, which broke 40 C at Cultus Lake for the first time yesterday.
In the Cache Creek area, temperatures soared to 42.5 C, and Lillooet set a new record at 43.1 C. Temperatures in the Pemberton Valley are so high an evacuation order has been issued because of rising river levels caused by snowmelt.
Tagging: @politicsofcanada
For all Americans keeping track 50c is around 123f i think. It’s what the summer temps in Arizona and New Mexico are like usually.
And for anyone who would like to say “lol that’s just summer here, nbd,” these are places where homes and most businesses do not generally have air conditioning. It doesn’t get hot enough during the summer to have a/c. Care homes might not have a/c in individual rooms. People are going to die from this. Forests are going to burn because of this.
Texan here.
Put foil on your windows and block with heavy blankets or curtains to keep sunlight out, that’s where the majority of your cool air leaves.
If you can’t get a hold of fans buy ice packs and stuff the freezer with em, you can place wrap them in towels and place them on pulse points on your body to keep you cool and avoid heat stroke.
If you do have a fan place a bowl of ice behind it to spread that cold air around the room
Wear your lightest clothing both in fabric and color WEAR LONG SLEEVES IN A LOOSE LIGHTWEIGHT FABRIC IT TRAPS SWEAT AND IT KEEPS YOU COOL, heat is attracted to dark colors.
Drink water no matter how thirsty you are, mix in gatorade to keep electrolytes up. Try to avoid ice cold though because it causes your body to heat up even more.
I hope this helps any of my Canadian followers. Some of us Texans still suffer so help these tips we use down here help ya’ll up there.
So it IS true that “this is just summer” where I am, but that means I know survival things you don’t and y’all were very kind to Texans during the polar vortex so from an Arizonan to all my overheating Canadians:
1) strip down to nothing. Pick out a light shirt and pants. (I like pajama pants for this.) Put them on. NO UNDERWEAR, it’ll make the next step suck. Now go get in a cool shower. Yes, with your clothes on. You can sit on a towel when you get out if you have cloth furniture. If you have long hair, use this opportunity to braid and bun it. It’ll stay wet longer, and keep you cooler.
2) stay indoors as much as possible.
3) If you have box fans, put a tub of ice water behind each one and aim it toward the ceiling on a 45-degree angle. Cool air sinks, so this will help circulation in your space and keep it cooler.
4) try to sleep during the day, if you can—body temperature automatically lowers during sleep. Dampen your top sheet and sleep under only that, in the nude if your living situation allows.
5) NO SODA. NO COFFEE. NO TEA. If you must drink these things, keep it to a minimum. In extremely hot weather, they can dehydrate you (especially soda).
6) find a friend or family member you can check in with at least once a day. Extreme heat can make you sluggish and disoriented even if you’re not in danger of overheating. Having someone to touch base with can help keep you engaged.
7) plan cold meals and do any necessary cooking at night. If you can stay awake this long, 2-3am will be the coolest part of the night and the most ideal for cooking. You’ll want lots of things like sandwiches, cut fruit, meat and veg that you like when they’re cold. Cooking during the day will heat up the house and you won’t want what you’ve made because it’s warm.
8) in the same vein, plan on 5-6 small meals rather than three moderate-to-large ones. You’ll find that you’re not actually all that hungry, and it’ll be easier to have a sandwich now and another in two hours than to eat a soup and sandwich and fruit right now. If you have an eating disorder and eating this way concerns you for your recovery, find a buddy to check in with, and remember: THIS IS HEALING. This is allowing your body to digest small amounts at a time so it’s not overwhelmed by unusual heat. You are eating the same amount overall, just in smaller bits.
9) buckle your seatbelts when you get out of the car, and if you have to park outside, leave your windows open by a couple of centimeters. This will prevent heat buildup (the hottest I’ve ever registered the inside of my car was 142 degrees—about 61C). If you have access to a piece of cardboard, put it inside your windshield to block out the sun. It really does help.
Stay safe, friends. Take care.
as a fellow Arizonan, i turn nocturnal in the summer. Legit the only way to survive in mid-summer.
Temperature wise- 3-6am is the good time to be outside, 11pm-3am is okay but not great, like 7-11am is okay.
DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, GO OUTSDE BETWEEN 1-5PM. This is the HOTTEST part of the day. You don’t want to be outside then, unless you have to be. Or you’re swimming. If you’re swiming- PUT ON SUNSCREEN. It doesn’t matter if you sunburn or not, you put on sunscreen. Typically sunscreen lasts an hour, so be aware of that and try and stay in the shade anyways.
Anyways it was 113° earlier and the wind feels like it’s from an oven, rn it’s 110° but we’re managing to keep the house 79° + fans
All of this is useful, but I want to mention that the further north you are the hottest part of the day may be later. I was in London, UK during a heatwave one summer and was always caught off guard by the timing of the heat. I’m from a place where it always gets hot in the summer and the hottest part of the day is between 12 - 4 pm. In London, the hottest part of the day didn’t start until 4pm.
Do all the things listed above, but be aware of your location and how it might affect the timing of the day’s heat.
Another Arizonan here!
Put your feet in water and/or get your hands wet. Even with room temperature water, it will help cool your body down.
If you do have to go outside for any reason, try and find some shade. It may not feel like it, but it does make a difference. And if you are outside for swimming, WEAR SUNSCREEN. I cannot stress how important this is. Make sure you drink some water while you are swimming too. You can still get dehydrated.
If you do get a sunburn, crush and dissolve some aspirin in some water and use a cotton ball or something like that to put it on your burn skin. Aloe is also a good solution. It is EXTRA important that you stay hydrated when you have a sunburn. You need to keep your skin hydrated so it doesn’t crack and peel as much. And your body is already trying to get rid of heat and it takes water to do that.
Something you can do to stay cool if you don’t have ac is getting towels and/or washcloths wet and freeze them. You can sit on them or use them as a cooling pack of you get overheated. Make sure you aren’t putting frozen things directly against your skin for long periods of time.
If you start to feel dizzy and you start to loose your bearings, like your vision going dark or your heartbeat rising in your ears and not being able to hear anything, GET WATER IMMEDIATELY. You are overheating and your body is shutting down systems in order to keep the important stuff working. If you can, rest until you feel well again. Maybe eat some food as well.
Air circulation is important. If you don’t have ac, keep a steady air flow through your house. Open windows and doors if you can. It might still be hot air, but having a steady air flow is much cooler than sitting air.
If you live/work in a building that is multiple stories, stay on the lower floors. Heat rises.
That’s all I have for now but stay safe everyone!!
Arizona, coming through with the advice!
I FORGOT ONE. AN IMPORTANT ONE.
THE PEE GAUGE.
You should be going pee every 2-3 hours. This keeps your kidneys healthy. Healthy pee should be clear (it MIGHT be cloudy or bright yellow if you have excess amounts of vitamins, this is a feature not a bug) and smell quite mild.
If you aren’t peeing all that often, or your pee is dark yellow and has a strong smell, YOU AREN’T DRINKING ENOUGH. If three hours have passed and you have no urge to pee, go drink a glass of water immediately. You have no idea how much water you’re sweating out (it’s more than you think, A LOT more), and if your body doesn’t have enough water left to make pee, that’s a problem.
Just to clarify one thing:
“For all Americans keeping track 50c is around 123f i think. It’s what the summer temps in Arizona and New Mexico are like usually.”
50 C is 122 F, which is the all-time record high temperature in Phoenix. This kind of heat isn’t normal even down here in the desert.