Map shows hot weather warnings in place across Canada as heat wave descends

Temperatures are expected to climb up to 37 C in some areas of southern Ontario. Photo by Jack Boland /Jack Boland/Toronto Sun

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Environment Canada has issued weather alerts across the country as temperatures as high as 37 C are expected to arrive this week.

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The warnings, which cover Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and a handful of areas in the Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan, are classified as either yellow or orange, depending on how high temperatures are expected to soar.

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Environment Canada says these warnings are put in place when hazardous weather may cause damage, disruption, or health impacts. For yellow warnings, impacts are moderate, localized and/or short-term, while orange warnings indicate major impacts that are widespread and/or may last a few days.

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Red warnings are in place when severe weather is potentially life-threatening. These warnings are rare, and there currently aren’t any in place.

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In Ontario, there were 38 orange warnings for heat at the time of writing, as well as 40 yellow warnings. Alberta has 31 yellow heat warnings in place, while there are seven in the Northwest Territories, 60 in Quebec and four in Saskatchewan.

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Temperatures are expected to climb up to 37 C in some areas of southern Ontario, while the humidex, which is used to describe how hot the weather feels to the average person, is expected to exceed 40 C.

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In the Northwest Territories, several areas are expected to see temperatures of 30 C, while Quebec will see daytime highs of 33 C and humidex values of up to 44. Four areas in Saskatchewan are expected to hit 29 C.

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In most areas, these conditions are expected to continue until Friday, and possibly into the weekend.

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In Alberta, where most of the warnings are concentrated in the north around Lac la Biche, MacKenzie County and Wood Buffalo, with highs of 30 C are not expected to continue past Thursday.

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Environment Canada offers advice on protection during periods of extreme heat. “Watch for the early signs of heat exhaustion in yourself and others. Signs may include headache, nausea, dizziness, thirst, dark urine and intense fatigue. Stop your activity and drink water,” the agency says.

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Meanwhile, signs of heatstroke can include red and hot skin, dizziness, nausea, confusion and a change in mental state or behaviour. In these instances, Environment Canada says to call 9-1-1 or your emergency health provider.

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“While you wait for medical attention, try to cool the person by moving them to a cool place, removing extra clothing, applying cold water or ice packs around the body,” it says.

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It also reminds Canadians to check on older adults, those living alone and other at-risk people either in-person or on the phone multiple times a day.

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The weather comes as Europe remains in the grip of a record-breaking heatwave that triggered school closures, travel disruption, flash flooding and crop damage. France has reported 1,000 excess deaths during the heatwave.

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Elsewhere, Environment Canada has issued orange warnings for rainfall across Manitoba and Saskatchewan, while several areas in Ontario have been placed under yellow warning or yellow watch for severe thunderstorms.