Heat warning in Waterloo region, surrounding area extended into this week

CBC

a day ago

Heat and humidity never seem to go out of style in Waterloo region and the surrounding area — and this week is no exception.
Hot weather could persist as late as Wednesday in the region, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada. The national weather agency says the region can expect daytime highs ranging from 30 to 35 C with the humidex between 35 and 40.
Overnight lows will only get down to between 19 and 22 C, which Environment Canada meteorologist Kristina Kretchman says isn't much consolation.
"When you have overnight lows with the hot, humid conditions near 20 C, there's not much relief from the heat," she told CBC News.
Kretchman says a cold front will end the heat wave for parts of southern Ontario on Monday, but it won't reach Waterloo region and the surrounding area until late Tuesday, "however there's a slight chance that the heat could continue into Wednesday."
Environment Canada's heat warning says the deteriorating air quality that comes with hot and humid air could result in the Air Quality Health Index reaching the high-risk category.
Kretchman says people should watch for the early signs of heat exhaustion in themselves and others.
"Just remember that heat can affect everyone's health," she said.
Kretchman recommends people check on older adults, those living alone and other at-risk people in-person or on the phone multiple times a day.
Signs of heat exhaustion may include headache, nausea, dizziness, thirst, dark urine and intense fatigue.
Region of Waterloo Public Health recommends people drink plenty of liquids, especially water, and go in the shade to get out of the sun.
If someone is experiencing heat stroke, that's a medical emergency and 911 should be called. The person should be moved to a cool place, fan them and apply cold water to large areas of skin or clothing.
Where to cool down
Cooling spaces are available in Waterloo region and include city hall locations, township offices, library branches as well as shopping malls.
Also listed as cooling centres are:
Cambridge: City hall, all Cambridge Public Library locations, WG Johnson Centre, Region of Waterloo Public Health and Social Services building at 150 Main St.
Kitchener: Activia Sportsplex, Breithaupt Centre, Bridgeport Community Centre, Centreville Chicopee Community Centre, Chandler Mowat Community Centre, Country Hills Community Centre, Doon Pioneer Park Community Centre, Country Hills Library at 1500 Block Line Rd. and Community Healthcaring K-W at 44 Francis St. S., Region of Waterloo administration building at 150 Frederick St., Region of Waterloo Public Health and Social Services building on Weber Street E.
Waterloo: RIM Park, Albert McCormick Community Centre, Moses Springer Community Centre, Waterloo Memorial Recreation Centre, Region of Waterloo's Public Health and Social Services at 99 Regina St. S., and Waterloo Public Library branches.
North Dumfries: Ayr branch of the Region of Waterloo Public Library, North Dumfries Community Complex.
Wellesley: Linwood, St. Clements and Wellesley branches of the Region of Waterloo Public Library.
Wilmot: Baden, New Dundee and New Hamburg branches of the Region of Waterloo Public Library and the Wilmot Recreation Complex.
Woolwich: Bloomingdale, Breslau, Elmira, and St. Jacobs branches of the Region of Waterloo Public Library, the Breslau Community Centre and the Woolwich Memorial Centre in Elmira.
Guelph: City hall, West End Community Centre, Victoria Road Recreation Centre, Evergreen Seniors Community Centre, all branches of the Guelph Public Library.
These spaces are open as cooling centres during regular business hours.
Burn ban in Waterloo region
The dry conditions in Waterloo region are also expected to continue and that has prompted a fire ban in Kitchener, Cambridge and the four townships. Backyard fires are not permitted in Waterloo or Guelph.
The burn ban in the townships of North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich went into effect on Thursday and it means any current fire permits are suspended until further notice and no new fire permits will be issued. This will also impact fires at campgrounds.
"The ban prohibits all fires except those set for the sole purpose of cooking food in a contained fire pit. Cooking fires should be attended constantly and extinguished completely after use," the townships said in a joint statement.
On Friday, Kitchener and Cambridge issued fire bans, meaning no backyard fires are permitted. Cambridge noted the ban is expected to remain in place "until such time as there is significant rainfall in the region."
Cambridge also noted that while the bylaw usually allows for cooking fires, that will not be the case during the fire ban.
Alexandra Cournoyer, a weather spokesperson for Environment and Climate Change Canada, says Waterloo region has seen about 25 to 50 mm less rain in the past month than what it should be normally for this time of year. The past three weeks there has been very little rain locally, she said.
This weekend, "mainly what we're going to get is a mix of sun and clouds. So there's no huge amount of precipitation that is forecasted, which is a little unfortunate because it's not going to help with this rainfall deficit," she said.
She said there could be pop-up showers or thunderstorms because of the heat, but "it's not going to be a huge amount of precipitation and it's really localized."