As Western Canadians sweat under a renewed heat wave and weather warnings, rivergoers are being warned about safety when they try to beat the heat by navigating swift currents on dime-store floaties.
The number of people expecting to seek relief on rivers, lakes and pools in the West is expected to rise in the coming days, as temperatures are forecast to spike and linger in the 30 C range.
Heat warnings are in place for large parts of western and northern Saskatchewan, most of Alberta, and parts of the Northwest Territories and British Columbia.
“The wind picks up, you start to get out further from shore, you are chatting, you are laughing, you are having a great time. Then all of a sudden, someone slips off the floatie, and they are over their head and they can’t get back on. The floatie is now drifting away, someone tries to help them, and now you are both in trouble. It just happens so quickly,” Stephanie Bakalar of Lifesaving Society Ontario told The Weather Network.
Almost 500 people drown annually in Canada, often in open water such as rivers, lakes and ponds.
“The unfortunate thing here is almost all of these drownings are preventable,” Bakalar said.
“It is very, very important to consider all the factors like water depth, wind, waves, and changes in weather. If you are going out into any type of open water on a floatie, canoe, kayak, stand-up paddle board, you should be wearing a life jacket.”
Meteorologist Terri Lang said temperatures over the next six days are expected to be hottest in Saskatchewan and Alberta, where some communities could reach daytime highs of 35 C and overnight lows between 12 C and 20 C.
“For this heat event, it’s not so much the intensity as opposed to the duration people should be aware of,” said Lang with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
“We’re not getting those 40 C egg-fryers. It’s more about (the temperature spike) … for a while.”
In Saskatoon, Environment Canada was predicting daily highs between 30 C and 35 C until at least Wednesday next week.
Lang said the weather can be tough for people who don’t have air conditioning, including the elderly, those with health conditions, first responders and the homeless.
“There’s a lot more that goes into heat warnings than just, ‘Let’s get out to the lake and get on the boat,’ ” Lang said.
Temperatures may start to cool down by the middle of next week, she added.
“It’s not looking like anything (changes) anytime soon.”
The emergency plan gives city residents access to cooling locations, outreach services, wellness checks and water distribution during extreme heat. The city has an online list of designated cool-down locations — including libraries and leisure centres. Many locations also offer a public water fountain and/or water filling station.
Partner organizations will also distribute water to vulnerable residents and have access to misting tents to provide another way to cool down.
High temperatures or humidity conditions can pose an elevated risk of heat illnesses, such as heat stroke or heat exhaustion, but extreme heat affects everyone. The risks are greater for young children, pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic illnesses and people working or exercising outdoors.
A fire ban is also still in place in large parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan due to the hot, dry conditions.
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