Much of Canada and the U.S. are entrenched in extreme heat and humidity that are making people cranky and prompting them to crank up air conditioners and electricity demand.
Temperatures of 30 C and higher – with the humidity making it feel more like upwards of 40 C – are also good reason to take precautions to prevent heat exhaustion and other health emergencies.
CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe says high temperature records were broken again Monday across Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.
Humidex advisories have been continued for much of the Prairies, but there is a slight break for southern Ontario on Tuesday, she says.
"Today will be the most comfortable day this week for the GTA [Greater Toronto Area] with humidex in the low to mid-30s. High heat and humidity [are] back on tomorrow [Wednesday] with the peak heat on Thursday," when it will be 37 C in Toronto with a humidex in the high 40s.
The heat wave will continue on Friday and into the upcoming weekend for most of southern and eastern Ontario. Toronto and Middlesex-London have issued heat alerts.
Air conditioners and fans set on high to beat the heat helped set a new summer peak power consumption record in Alberta.
Tuesday will be one of the hottest days for Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with humidex values soaring into the mid-40s in both provinces. "Although weather will remain hot and humid, temperatures will come down to the high 20s starting tomorrow," Watstaffe added.
On Monday, Atikokan, Ont., and Winnipeg both hit official heat-wave status — three consecutive days of 32 C or higher.
In Winnipeg, the forecast Tuesday is for a high of 37 C, with the humidity making it feel more like 48 C.
One Winnipeg homeless shelter has been handing out water bottles, lip balm and sunscreen to clients, but has run out of some items.
Many people are curtailing outside activities, including museum workers who cancelled a dinosaur fossil dig in Morden, Man.
A malfunction at a Manitoba Hydro station left about 5,000 Winnipeg residents without air conditioning Sunday night, but the problem has since been resolved.
In Saskatchewan on Monday, some central areas were hit by baseball-sized hail. Environment Canada is still trying to confirm whether tornadoes touched down, but winds everywhere were high — up to 130 kilometres an hour at Meadow Lake.
On Monday in Alberta, the recent hot weather has been cited as the driving factor behind a record summer peak in electricity, breaking a record set on Aug. 18, 2008.
"Our load is quite high, but the majority of units are operating at or near maximum capacity, therefore we have adequate supply to meet demand," says Matthew Davis, supervisor of market analytics for the Alberta Electric System Operator.
The sweltering conditions made their way into Canada from the U.S. Midwest, and forecasters say the extreme discomfort will soon spread to the East Coast.
The worst conditions Monday blanketed a broad band from Texas to Minnesota and the Dakotas, as 17 states issued heat watches, warnings or advisories. Some of the highest temperatures were reported in Newton, Iowa (52 C), Mitchell, S.D., (nearly 49 C) and Madison, Minn. (48 C).
In Canada, smog alerts are prompting transit authorities to encourage drivers to take public transit instead of their cars. In Laval, Que., for instance, the Société de transport de Laval (STL) announced it is reducing the single-ride fare on its buses on Tuesday from $2.75 to just $1.
It's estimated the special fare might prompt about 1,500 motorists to leave their cars at home on high-smog days, according to an STL news release.
The Canadian Red Cross is warning that people most at risk of suffering heat exhaustion and other adverse health effects from extreme heat are the elderly and young children, as well as those who:
The Red Cross also gives these tips for beating the heat:
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