Madison Erhardt
UPDATE 7:43 a.m
Environment Canada has issued a heat advisory for the Thompson-Okanagan on Monday morning.
“A heat wave will affect British Columbia this week,” states an Environment Canada alert.
Maximum daytime temperatures will reach highs of between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius. Early morning lows will remain between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius from Tuesday to Saturday.
Areas affected include South Thompson, Okanagan Valley, Similkameen, Fraser Canyon, Nicola, Shuswap, Boundary, Arrow Lakes – Slocan Lake, West Kootenay and Kootenay Lake.
“A strong ridge of high pressure will bring a heat wave to British Columbia this week. Daytime highs are expected Wednesday through Friday. Then a slow cooling trend is likely next weekend to early August,” says Environment Canada.
The hottest time of day will be late afternoon to early evening and the coolest time of day will be near sunrise.
Extreme heat affects everyone, but the risks are greatest for young children, pregnant women, the elderly, people with chronic illnesses, and people who work or exercise outdoors.
Signs of heat illness include swelling, rash, cramps, fainting, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and the worsening of some health conditions.
For more information:
ORIGINAL 4:00 a.m
Brace yourself, it’s going to be a very hot week in the Okanagan.
Temperatures are expected to exceed 30ºC.
“We’re looking at a very strong ridge of high pressure looking into southern BC for the next few days. Temperatures will probably be five to 10 degrees above normal for most of it,” said meteorologist Gregg Walters.
Environment Canada says they would declare a heat warning if temperatures hit 35C for two or more consecutive days, and overnight lows don’t drop below 18C.
“It’s definitely a possibility. It could be issued sometime Monday. It’s just hovering around the values for a heat advisory to be issued. We generally don’t like to issue more than 24 hours in advance, but certainly temperatures . in much of the southern interior they are quite warm,” Walters added.
On Monday there will be a maximum of 33 ºC with sunshine.
Tuesday is expected to reach a high of 34C with sunshine throughout the day.
Wednesday will rise to 36 C and sun.
Thursday will be the hottest day of the week with an intensity of 37 C with sunshine.
It is also expected to be sunny for Friday and Saturday with a maximum of 36 ºC.
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Photo: Ted Horsk