A “mini heat wave” is on the way this week for British Columbia’s South Coast and southern Interior, according to Global BC’s senior meteorologist, Kristi Gordon.
Temperatures will peak in the low 30s on Tuesday and Wednesday along the South Coast. The most scorching temperatures will hit areas away from the water — particularly the Fraser Valley, Gordon said.
Residents of the Interior can expect peak temperatures in the mid-30s on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Gordon added.
“The hottest conditions will be in areas such as Cache Creek, Lytton and Kamloops.”
Shelley Morris, assistant fire chief for the Surrey Fire Service, encouraged all impacted residents to come up with a personalized heat preparedness plan. That includes identifying areas with air conditioning, such as malls or movie theatres, to visit if the heat becomes uncomfortable, and having water on hand to stay hydrated, “even if you don’t think you need to.”
Those in need of assistance in extreme heat, such as senior citizens, may wish to ask a neighbour to check in on them as well, she added.
“That’s definitely an ideal scenario — helping them map out the cooler areas of the house to sleep in, keeping their windows and blinds down,” Morris told Global News.
“When the sun shines right through the window, it can actually increase the temperature by about two to three degrees, which is incredibly important.”
The City of Surrey has its own emergency alert program, she added, advising residents to sign up online to receive localized emergency notifications and information, in addition to provincial and federal alerts.
Last year, the provincial government launched its BC Heat Alert and Response System, enabling it to issue a public alert for extreme heat emergencies.
That system can either send a heat warning or an extreme heat emergency alert. For the latter, the province has said alerts will also be issued through Alert Ready, the national public alerting system issued for Amber alerts and natural disaster warnings.
It also published an extreme heat preparedness guide, outlining steps residents can take to protect themselves and others.
If an extreme heat emergency has been issued, the public is encouraged to close and cover windows during daylight hours, make ice and prepare jugs of cold water, move to cooler places where possible, and ensure digital thermometers have batteries.
Cool showers and sleeping with a wet sheet or shirt on are other tricks for beating the heat, the province adds.
If someone appears to be in heat distress, with symptoms such as rapid breathing and heartbeat, extreme thirst and decreased urination, residents are advised to call 911, submerge the person in cool water, and apply wet cloths to bare skin.
“When you go into medical distress, it is sometimes very difficult to see that you are going through that medical distress,” Morris said, adding that checking in on friends and family can be “life-saving.”
More information on heat safety is available on the BC Centre for Disease Control’s website.
In 2021, more than 600 people died from extreme temperatures during an unprecedented “heat dome” between June 25 and July 1. More than a dozen died from heat last year as well.
Marc Telosky, general manager of the Canadian Tire in Maple Ridge, said nearly an entire year’s supply of air conditioners and fans sold out last month in anticipation of more extreme heat.
“We sold everything in the first two weeks of May. Every year it seems to be getting earlier and earlier,” he said in an interview.
“Even this year we noticed people buying them in March and April … people don’t want to get stuck like they did last year.”
The location, however, has been able to replenish its supplies and Telosky said there are still lots of air conditioners, mini pools and fans available to beat the heat this week.
— with files from Janet Brown