COOLING HIS HEELS
Ezekiel David, 7, right, and his sister Eliyanah, 3, get some welcome relief Sunday at the pool in front of the Alberta legislature. Temperatures climbed to 30 C in the sunshine. The Weather Network is calling for a high of 30 C again today.
The Edmonton area was hit with a heat warning on Sunday, with temperatures in the 30 C range until mid-week.
The Environment Canada alert for Edmonton, St. Albert and Sherwood Park encourages the following precautions:
■ Rescheduling outdoor activities to cooler hours of the day.
■ Taking frequent breaks from the heat, spending time in cooled indoor spaces where possible.
■ Drinking plenty of water and other non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated beverages to stay hydrated.
■ Checking for your children or pets before you exit your vehicle. Do not leave any person or pet inside a closed vehicle, for any length of time.
And while the sizzling mid-august heat strikes now, the latest Accuweather forecast for fall in Alberta suggests it will be “near normal,” a phrase that’s become commonplace since the COVID -19 pandemic struck in March.
“A lot of it has to do with most of the warmth that we’re going to see in Canada is going to be from the eastern Prairies, through the rest of Eastern Canada.
“It’s going to keep the cold away from the area, so it should keep it relatively mild for the fall,” said Alan Reppert, senior meteorologist with Accuweather. Reppert adds Alberta can expect less rainfall than what the province experienced over the summer.
And for farmers who might be concerned about frost, there is some assurance.
“It looks like the harvest should be a normal time frame; we’re not expecting a heavy rainfall or the cold temperatures to push in too quickly,” Reppert said.
As for the dreaded white stuff that will inevitably descend on Edmonton?
“It’s definitely not out of the question to see snow starting to fall already towards the end of October and into November,” said Reppert.