Northumberland's feeling the heat
News
Posted By VALERIE MACDONALD Northumberland Today.com
Updated 1 month ago
NORTHUMBERLAND - Don't expect a break in this hot, humid weather until Thursday night, says Environment Canada's climatologist Sandy Radecki.
That's when a "cold" front will move in from northwestern Ontario, along with rain and possible thunderstorms, followed by drier air and lower the temperatures, moving from the 30s into the high 20s, she said in an interview Tuesday.
The reduced humidity is the key relief factor in the post-Thursday weather, she said.
Recent temperatures have been feeling like 40 degrees because of the humidity, and there are heat warnings in Southern Ontario due to this, along with smog advisories.
Until the weather breaks, Anne Alexander of the Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit advises people to drink plenty of fluids (water and natural fruit juices), avoid strenuous activity during heat peaks (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.), wear a hat and sunscreen if you must be outdoors and take "shade" breaks.
Some medications carry warnings that people should not be in the direct sunlight, and that advice should be followed, the environmental health director for the local health unit based in Port Hope said. If you are having difficulty breathing or a persistent headache, check with your doctor because it would be due to "heat effects," Alexander said.
"Never leave children alone in a car," she also stressed.
The temperature rises quickly and is "like an oven."
The same is true for pets and for elderly people, who may not be able to move easily and get out of the rising temperature quickly enough.
In addition, check frequently on older people during sizzling hot and humid weather, she said. Their condition can change rapidly.
If you don't have air conditioning, go to a mall or public building like a library and spend some time there -- or -- create a "through-draft" by opening windows across from each other. Make sure to draw blinds and drapes to keep out the sun, Alexander also advises.
Wearing loose, light clothing, particularly cotton which absorbs moisture and breathes, is also advisable.
It is an employer's duty to "protect their employees from all workplace hazards, including heat and hot weather," states Ontario Labour Minister Peter Fonseca in a media release. The communique advises scheduling physically heavy work for cooler periods, increasing breaks and the pace of work and using aids like hoists, etc.
One of the reasons this hazy and humid heat wave is affecting people so much on both sides of the Great Lakes is that this is the first one in three years, Environment Canada climatologist Dave Phillips is quote as saying in a published report. There have been hot days but not the combined three effects for days in a row, he explained.
The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) reported the power demand at 1 p.m. Tuesday was just over 24,000 megawatts and was expected to peak at almost 25,000 by day's end, according to its website.
"This is the highest demand this year and we expect it will be the highest demand going back to 2007," IESO spokesperson Martine Holmsen told Northumberland Today.
Lakefront Utilities president Bruce Craig advised customers of the utility using power in Cobourg and Colborne to turn off lights and air conditioners unless needed. Turning the air conditioner up just a couple of degrees is valuable because it takes the humidity out of the air -- and setting the temperature about five degrees less than the temperature outside does provide relief.
Earlier this summer, Hydro One advised its customers that by setting their air conditioners one degree higher they "can save them up to five per cent on their cooling costs."
Some areas have moved to Time-of-Use Pricing which provides three different electricity costs depending on the time of day. The rural area north of Baltimore is among those coming onto the system this summer. Lakefront Utility customers will not do so until next May, Craig said.
Veridian, which services customers in the Municipality of Port Hope westward, says Time-of-Use-Pricing will be rolled out this summer. He did not have information on the peak demand the utility company was experiencing on Tuesday afternoon.
Wednesday's local forecast was calling for highs of 32 over the next two days, with lower temps (27) near Lake Ontario on the first day. A decade earlier, the Port Hope weather station recorded a maximum temperature of 29.05 degrees C during the month of July, according to Environment Canada website records.
vmacdonald@northumberlandtoday.com
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