Get out your portable fans.
Draw the shades and drapes.
Drink plenty of water.
We’re in for a bit of heat wave.
Environment Canada has issued a heat warning for all this week in the central Interior with predicted daytime highs over the next six days ranging from 29-34 C and overnight lows of 12-14 C..
There’s nothing but sunshine in the forecast as a strong ridge of high pressure grips the province, bringing warm air up from the United States. Today will be the coolest day of the week with a high of 25 C expected.
The mercury will rise to 29 C on Tuesday and it will reach the thirties the rest of the week – 32 C on Tuesday, 33 C on Wednesday, 31 C on Thursday, 31 C on Friday, 31 C on Saturday and 30 C for Sunday
The peak temperatures will happen in the late afternoon, early evening, so it’s best to get your outdoor chores done in the morning before it gets too hot.
Residents are being asked to find an air-conditioned building or basement and stay out of the heat during hottest times of the day. Watch for signs of heat exhaustion – headache; dizziness and confusion; loss of appetite and feeling sick; excessive sweating and pale, clammy skin; rapid breathing or pulse, a body temperature of 38C or above; and being very thirsty. Heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke, a life-threatening condition. Last year’s heat dome in late-June, early-July led to the death of 14 Prince George residents.
Starting Tuesday, cooling centres open to the public will be set up at POUNDS Project at 1126 Third Ave, PG Schizophrenia Society at 1131 Sixth Ave, and Central Interior Native Health Society at 1110 Fourth Ave.
So far, thanks to regular rainshower activity, the central third of the province has gone through the summer with virtual no wildfire activity. However, it won’t take long for the forests to dry out. Of the 42 wildfires currently burning in the province, all are in the northern and southern parts of the province. The Nohomin Creek fire northwest of Lytton is the only wildfire of note.
A fire ban for the entire Prince George Fire District comes into effect at noon on Thursday and will continue until noon on Oct. 15, or until the order is rescinded. Class 2 (up to two piles, no more than two metres high and three metres wide) and Class 3 (any controlled burns larger than a Class 2 fire) will be prohibited, along with the use of fireworks, sky lanterns, binary exploding targets, burn barrels or burn cages of any size, and air curtain burners. The prohibition doesn’t apply to campfires up to 50 cm high and 50 cm wide or cooking stoves that use gas, propane or charcoal briquettes.
