Hot weather in Saskatchewan has led to eight communities breaking historical temperature records on Thursday.
According to Environment Canada, the central and south regions of the province are experiencing very hot temperatures on Wednesday as an upper ridge continues to bring warm weather to the province on Thursday.
Assiniboia and area recorded the highest temperature as of 11:51 a.m. with a high of +32.9 C. The record was previously set in 2006 with a high of +32.4 C.
Red Cross Saskatchewan is warning residents about heat-related illnesses, which can include heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
“They all worsen as more time is spent in the sun, but they are 100 per cent preventable,” said Red Cross First Aid program representative, Andrea Wilkie.
As for what to watch for, Wilkie explained heat exhaustion starts to impact your skin.
“It will be moist but it will also be warm. If you escalate into heat stroke, your skin actually goes the opposite direction and it’ll be extremely dry and extremely hot,” Wilkie told Global News.
This is a good indicator to seek medical attention, Wilkie said.
Breathing will also be impacted as heat illness gets worse and behaviours can change as well. This can include anxiety or aggressive behavior and can also affect your consciousness.
“With heat exhaustion you can faint, all the way up to seizures and coma if you spend too much time and expose yourself to heat stroke.”
If you start to notice these symptoms, Wilkie said the first thing to do is remove yourself or the person who is ill from the heat.
Loosening clothing and allowing the skin to breathe is also important. Drinking clear liquids as well as pouring cool, clear liquids on someone’s torso or giving them a fan can help too.
As for clear liquids, Wilkie said water is your “best friend” in these extreme heat temperatures.
To learn more about heat illness, see Red Cross’ website.
For the latest conditions and warnings, download the SkyTracker weather app.
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