The extreme heat blanketing St. Albert and the surrounding area has led the city to activate its extreme weather response.
The response measures, which are expected to stay in place until the weekend, include city facilities operating as “cooling stations” where people can go to get out of the heat, public transit being available for free for those who need to get out of the sun, and RCMP officers having bottles of water available in their vehicles and at headquarters on Boudreau Road.
The city facilities open as cooling stations include St. Albert Place downtown, which is open from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; Servus Place in Campbell Business Park, which is open from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; and the Jensen Lakes Library, which is open from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
According to the extreme heat notice published to the city's website on Monday afternoon, the city's threshold for activating it's extreme heat response is when there are two or more consecutive days where daytime highs reach at least 29 degrees C and nighttime lows stay above 14 degrees C.
As residents may have already noticed, the temperature reached 32 degrees C on Monday afternoon, and is only expected to drop to 15 degrees C overnight. Tuesday and Wednesday this week are expected to be equally warm, with the daytime high on Wednesday actually expected to creep up to 33 degrees C, according to the Weather Network's seven day forecast, but it will feel like 38 degrees C.
The overnight lows are only expected to cool down to 21 degrees C and 17 degrees C on Tuesday and Wednesday night respectively.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued a heat warning for the St. Albert area early this morning, and the warning says that “overnight lows in the mid-teens will not provide much relief from the heat.”
“Heat warnings are issued when very high temperature conditions are expected to pose an elevated risk of heat illnesses, such as heat stroke or heat exhaustion,” ECCC's warning reads.
The city says to avoid heat stroke or heat exhaustion, it's recommended that residents stay hydrated, avoid heavy exertion, wear sunscreen and dress for the weather, and try not use appliances that produce heat like stoves or ovens.
“Heat affects everyone differently,” reads the city's extreme heat notice. “The very aged and very young are more susceptible to heat so please keep an eye on friends, neighbours and family members.”
“Please take precautions to keep you and your family safe during extreme temperatures.”
The city's notice also says that those who are unhoused are facing greater risk of heat exhaustion and stroke, and if you're concerned about someone without shelter from the heat you can call the St. Albert Food Bank and Community Village at 780-459-0599 or the city's community services department at 780-459-1756.
