![]() ![]() ![]() “We are sweating, but that sweat is not evaporating, and our body is not capable of reducing its temperature,” Romanic said. But that process doesn’t work as well if there’s a lot of moisture in the air. The humidex is an attempt to link the temperature with the relative humidity, a measure of how much moisture is in the air, said Djordje Romanic, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at McGill University.Īs temperatures rise, people start sweating, which cools the body when the sweat evaporates. and Alberta, heat alerts can also be triggered if the humidex reaches a specific level. In each of those regions, the threshold for a warning is based on the minimal temperature that leads to an increase in mortality of around five per cent. In B.C., there are five different heat regions to account for its varied topography and climate. “That’s partially because they’re physiologically adapted to the climate that they live in, partially because they’re behaviourally adapted to the climate they live in and partially because the built environment reflects the climate,” she said. ![]() Henderson, who is also a professor in the medical faculty at University of British Columbia, said people’s susceptibility to higher temperatures is based on what they’re used to. The levels that trigger those alerts vary from region to region and are based on temperatures that have been associated with significant increases in mortality. Quebec, like B.C., also has an extreme-heat warning system in addition to the Environment Canada-issued warnings. The extreme-heat warning is issued when conditions become really dangerous, she said. Sarah Henderson, scientific director of environmental health services at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, said the Environment Canada system is intended to alert people when there is risk associated with higher temperatures, especially for vulnerable people. In southwestern British Columbia, it takes two days at 33 C or warmer with nighttime lows of 17 C or warmer to trigger an alert.Īs well, British Columbia has a second extreme-heat warning system that is used when temperatures get so high everyone is at risk. In general, there are only a few degrees difference in the threshold between provinces.įor example, heat warnings are issued in Nova Scotia when daytime high temperatures are expected to reach 29 C or warmer for two or more consecutive days, and when nighttime low temperatures aren’t expected to fall below 16 C. Provinces have different thresholds, and the levels warranting an alert can even vary within a province. Older people, those with chronic medical conditions and young children are particularly at risk because their bodies have to work even harder, Bustinza says. ![]() Heat can be dangerous because it forces the body to work harder than normal to maintain its internal temperature, says Ray Bustinza, a scientific adviser on environmental health at Quebec’s public health institute. Generally, the warnings act as forecasts that include daytime highs and nighttime lows above a specific threshold for two consecutive days. Here are five things to know about heat warnings in Canada:Įnvironment Canada issues heat warnings when temperatures begin posing a health risk. On Wednesday, warnings were in effect not just in southern Ontario but in much of Nova Scotia, northeastern Newfoundland and even Old Crow, Yukon, north of the Arctic Circle.īut the temperature that leads to a heat warning in one province could be lower than the temperature that triggers an alert in another part of the country. Earlier this month, the Northwest Territories and northern Quebec were under heat warnings as temperatures climbed into the 30s. Environment Canada has issued heat warnings this summer for parts of the country used to baking in the heat, but also in places unaccustomed to extended periods of hot weather. ![]()
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