Metro Vancouverites are being warned about a prolonged heat event through the weekend with temperatures soaring over 10 C above the seasonal average.
Environment Canada issued a special weather statement on Friday, June 6, cautioning that an "early season heat event" is expected to last from Saturday through the start of next week.
A ridge of high pressure is expected to make temperatures climb to the high 20s and low 30s along the B.C. south coast and in parts of Vancouver Island. Overnight lows are expected to hit the mid-teens.
Environment Canada Meteorologist Derek Lee told V.I.A. in a previous interview that daylight hours increase through June, and ridges of high pressure have more time to strengthen with less cooling overnight.
Elevated temperatures are also expected on Monday, according to the current seven-day Metro Vancouver weather forecast.
A gradual cooling trend is expected to emerge Tuesday in the region and continue for several days, although the department isn't confident showers will accompany it.
Locals should also stay safe around rivers and streams since the warmer weather will also cause rapid snow melt, leading to high water levels.
What can you do to stay safe and cool?
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) notes that this weekend's elevated temperatures haven't been issued a "heat warning" and don't constitute an "extreme heat emergency."
However, early-season heat can be problematic because people haven't been acclimatized to elevated temperatures. People who are particularly at risk of heat-related illness include those living alone, with mental illness, the elderly, young children, pregnant women, those with disabilities, or who work in hot environments.
Consider developing a check-in system for neighbours and friends who are at higher risk during warmer weather.
To reduce the risk of having a heat-related illness, the BCCDC offers the following tips:
- Stay in cool spaces as much as possible.
- Spray your body down with water, wear a damp shirt, take a cool shower or bath, or sit with part of your body in water to cool down if you are feeling too hot.
- Drink plenty of water and other liquids to stay hydrated, even if you are not feeling thirsty.
- Take it easy, especially during the hottest hours of the day.
- When outdoors, stay in the shade or use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or more.
- Signs of overheating include feeling unwell, headache, and dizziness. Take immediate action to cool down if you are overheating.
- It is important to remember that overheating can quickly lead to heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
- Signs of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, severe headache, muscle cramps, extreme thirst, and dark urine. If you are experiencing these symptoms, seek a cooler environment, drink plenty of water, rest, and use water to cool your body.
- Signs of heat stroke include confusion, fainting or decreased consciousness, or high body temperatures that cannot be lowered.
- Heat stroke is a medical emergency.
Preparing now for future hot weather
- Identify a cooler space in your home and prepare it so you can stay there at night, if possible.
- You may need to change daily living arrangements during an extreme heat event; connect with friends or family about staying in a cooler location.
- Install awnings, shutters, blinds, or curtains over your windows to keep the sun out during the day.
- Get a digital room thermometer to keep with you so you know when your home is getting too hot.
- Check that you have a working fan. If you have an air conditioner, make sure it works.
- If you do not have air conditioning at home, find an air-conditioned space or a shaded outdoor location where you can cool off on hot days. Consider places in your community where you can spend time, such as libraries, community centres, movie theatres, shopping malls, or recreation spaces, including the ocean, rivers or lakes.
In the event of a medical emergency, call 911. However, it is also important to use these systems responsibly to avoid overwhelming the system. Ahead of the busy summer months, BC Emergency Health Services reminds British Columbians to only dial 911 for serious or life-threatening injuries.
When to call 911:
- In general, when there is chest pain, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, severe burns, choking, convulsions that are not stopping, a drowning, a severe allergic reaction, a head injury, signs of a stroke, a major trauma.
- More specifically related to hot weather, severe headache, confusion, unsteadiness, loss of thirst, nausea/vomiting, and dark or no urine are signs of dangerous heat-related illness.
If you have a less urgent health issue:
- You can call 811 and connect with a nurse at HealthLink BC. Or, if you can do so safely, go to an urgent care centre or clinic.
- That way, highly trained emergency medical dispatch staff and paramedics will be available for people who need their services the most.
- Visit Heathlink online and the “Check Your Symptoms” tool.
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