London, Ont., came close to setting a new high temperature record on Monday, succeeded in setting a new record on Tuesday, and is in the running to possibly break a record on Wednesday.
All the while, a heat warning from Environment Canada remains in effect.
On Monday, the temperature climbed to 29.6 C — not enough to break the 31.2 C record set in 2012.
On Tuesday, the mercury soared to 30.2 C, breaking the previous record of 29.3 C which was set in 1978.
Wednesday’s high-temperature record of 30.0 C was set in 1941. Environment Canada is forecasting a high of 29 C.
The city opened two cooling centres for residents in need, with the Canada Games Aquatic Centre at 1045 Wonderland Rd. N. and the South London Community Centre at 1119 Jalna Blvd. open between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday to provide an indoor cooling space and water. However, other amenities in the centres are not open.
The city also noted several community agencies have been collaborating “to support those accessing their services during the extreme heat.”
The week has been a busy one for Peter Inch of Roy Inch and Sons as residents begin to look towards air conditioning.
“We’re absolutely swamped,” he said.
“It happens every year, it’s never a surprise to us, that first heatwave that we get. If I had 300 technicians they would all be full and I’d still not have enough technicians to handle the workload that comes in.”
Inch says they’re getting 400-500 calls a day.
“The capacity we had open on Monday filled in 15 minutes,” he explained.
“We feel bad, when you’re talking to people, especially now with COVID-19. A lot of people would go to work and get cool and come back home if the air conditioner wasn’t working — now they’re staying at home. So if the air conditioner isn’t working, the patience is getting thinner and thinner.”
For those fortunate enough to have air conditioning but dealing with units that aren’t working properly, Inch says to make sure any winter cover on the unit is off of it, then check to see if the breaker was shut off accidentally or if any fuses blew.
“If it doesn’t, there could be a five-minute delay, so wait five or ten minutes. If it still doesn’t start up, then you probably have an issue.”