Forest City begins June with record breaking temperature: officials warn of heat dangers

Starting off the month with record temperatures, London, Ont., hit a new high on June 1, according to Environment Canada.

The Forest City hovered around the low-30s Thursday afternoon, beating the previous record of 28.4 C set back in 1986.

Monica Vaswani, warning preparedness meteorologist for Environment Canada, told Global News that London’s late-spring heat wave may not be over just yet.

“Tomorrow (Friday) is your best bet for breaking another record,” she said. “Forecast high is 31 C, and the record for tomorrow is 31.1 C set back in 1944.”

Even looking into next week, she said, the region is expected to be above seasonal temperatures of around 23 C.

“We’re expecting anywhere from 23 C to 26 C for the first week of June, and that will be on the dry side of things for the London area,” she said. “Once we get into the second week of June, it does look like temperatures are supposed to regulate back towards that 23 C mark.”

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In an email to Global News, Dan Flaherty, communications manager for the Middlesex London Health Unit (MLHU), said that the health unit is not planning to issue a heat advisory for Thursday or Friday, saying that the health unit is “currently re-aligning our criteria and that is changing when extreme heat advisories are issued.”

“The requirement will be at least two days of forecast high temperatures expected to exceed 31 C and a forecast low of only 20 C,” he said. “Because we’re expecting lows of 17 C, the region doesn’t meet the threshold for a heat warning.”

Despite that, the London Fire Department (LFD) is reminding residents about the dangers of hot cars and heat stroke.

Matt Hepditch, deputy chief of fire prevention and public education, said that on a day like Thursday, the temperature inside a car can rise to deadly levels in under 10 minutes, especially for young children and pets.

“A child’s body temperature can rise three times faster than an adult,” he said. “If we’re talking about pets, you can imagine that their fur and hair increases their temperature very quickly as well… with a high of 32 C, you’re looking between seven (to) eight minutes where that temperature can rise to a deadly level of around 40 degrees.”

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He added that local fire crews receive several calls reporting pets or young children trapped in hot cars over the summer months every year.

With the summer-like weather already here, Hepditch also stressed the dangers of spending too much time out in the sun.

“Heat exhaustion presents through a variety of symptoms, one being nausea, some headache, extreme thirst, potential dizziness and a rapid pulse. When you start with heat exhaustion, that can lead to heat stroke and that’s where you need to ensure that you’re seeking medical attention.”

Vaswani at Environment Canada echoed the heat safety message, encouraging everyone to stay hydrated, look for shade and keep those fans blowing.

“Drink lots of water even before you feel thirsty because once you’re feeling that thirst your body’s already into some state of dehydration,” she said.

In looking towards the summer and for a local spot to cool off, the city says that outdoor pools will open on July 1.