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paddleboarders and tubers try to beat the heat in dartmouth's albro lake on tuesday.
tim krochak
/
chronicle herald
no one in nova scotia pays closer attention to the weather than cindy day and she’s surprised an official heat warning hasn’t already been issued for the province.
the longtime meteorologist said on monday a stretch of extremely hot weather is about to hit and people would be wise to prepare.
“i would imagine very soon environment canada will issue that warning,” she said. “it’s going to be very warm and very muggy, but the overnight temperatures are also not going to cool down very much, and that’s the criteria that is necessary (for an advisory) — the warm days, high humidity, and warm nights as well. we’re going to be in that through the entire week.”
temperatures will exceed 30 degrees celsius in most places in nova scotia for the next several days, but day said it’s the listed ‘feels like’ numbers people should really monitor. current forecasts call for those highs to hover around 37 degrees at peak periods every day in several locations across the province.
“i would say that is the more important number to focus on because that’s what your skin and your body has to deal with,” day said. “so if you’re outside and you’re going for a little walk and you sweat a little bit, that moisture on your skin can’t evaporate into the air because the air is already very humid. so your body perceives it as being 38, 39 or 40.
“so the temperature on the thermometer is a nice number and it’s really the one that we have to focus on if we’re giving somebody a forecast. but it’s a ventilated temperature in a white stevenson screen (meteorological instrument) with air blowing through it. it’s not really what you feel if you’re walking on a hot day in the warm air in the sun. that’s really the number we should focus on — that humidex value.”
a surfer runs towards the waves as he and dozens of others cool off at lawrencetown beach in this file photo.
tim krochak
/
chronicle herald
diving a bit deeper into the meteorology of it all, day said there are a few other variables, such as occasional rain and wind direction, that she expects will intensify the heat’s effects in the coming days.
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“oftentimes when we have these warm, muggy days, the wind is southeasterly, and that offers a lot of cooling for coastal areas,” she said. “but the way the compression is on the backside of the bermuda high, it’s not coming off the water as much. it’s more of a southwesterly circulation, so the compression and the heat is not going to bring much relief to coastal areas.
“it’s going to be, of course, a little cooler right along the water’s edge, but we’re not going to get those nice onshore winds that develop late in the day that bring that temperature down and that allow for better cooling at night and better sleep. so i think that’s going to make the risk a little higher with this building heat and humidity for the next several days.”
“and for those areas that got the heavier downpours anywhere, the water sat for a little bit, so when the sun comes up and there’s not much wind, that evaporation fills the lower levels of the atmosphere with more moisture, even though it’s a nice sunny day,” she added. “there’s that low-level humidity coming off the grass and the fields and the land from that added moisture from those heavy downpours.”
a man seeks shade beneath a tree in victoria park in halifax during a 2018 heat wave.
tim krochak
/
chronicle herald
it’s during these conditions that day urges people to try to balance their desire to soak up the sun with some basic precautions. long exposure to beating sun and high temperatures can lead to dehydration, sunburn, cramps, and heat exhaustion. there’s a long list of adverse effects, such as headaches, vomiting, and difficulty breathing, to watch for when outside for long periods during conditions like the ones coming up.
in extreme cases, heat stroke can create a medical emergency because the body can’t keep up with its own cooling requirements. vital organs like the heart, kidneys and brain can experience dangerous strain and some people even suffer seizures when body temperatures exceed 40 degrees.
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above and beyond those standard risks for everyone, some demographics are even more vulnerable than others. seniors and young kids are at the top of the list, along with anyone who works or exercises outside for long stretches.
people with medical conditions that weaken their overall physical robustness are also at risk. that long list includes everything from organ diseases, diabetes, weakened immune systems and nerve, neurological or endocrine disorders.
some mental health conditions can also worsen because the physical distress from overheating can mimic or exacerbate panic, anxiety or other psychological and physiological triggers. the effectiveness of some medications can even be affected by the body’s reaction to heat exposure.
people enjoy a day at the stoney island beach on cape sable island in this file photo. – saltwire file
for all of those reasons, it’s important for everyone — fully healthy or otherwise — to stay mindful and vigilant during heat waves. the most common practices are to stay hydrated, seek shade or retreat indoors with air conditioning, if that is available. swimming or a cool shower are also effective ways to lower body temperature.
monitoring the duration and intensity of activity, plus wearing a hat and sunscreen, are always sensible measures whenever outside in the open.
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