By Dylana Kneeshaw

HEAT WAVE

Kamloops residents reminded to take heat illness, wildfire precautions as temperatures soar

Jun 22, 2021 | 3:59 PM

KAMLOOPS — An early summer heat wave has arrived in Kamloops, and by the end of this week the region could see record breaking temperatures.

At these levels, finding ways to stay cool becomes a matter of safety, and Interior Health says street-affected populations, elderly people, infants or anyone working or exercising outside is at a higher risk of heat-related illness.

Since the temperatures began to climb in Kamloops, Out of the Heat Executive Director Dina Lambright says more and more people are seeking relief with their program.

“I think it’s busier this year because since the river has closed for folks living down by the river we now have this influx of folks coming here,” says Lambright. “And on the North Shore there’s very few opportunities for people to come and find a safe space to land so the Loop has exponentially grown for sure.”

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Out of the Heat is operating out of the Loop building on Tranquille Road this summer. To keep clients fed and prevent heat-related illness, Lambright says they’re looking for donations of summer clothes, sunscreen, frozen food items like popsicles and flats of water.

“You have exhaustion, overheating, people dehydrating,” Lambright describes. “I mean in us providing services, it keeps people out of the ER, so people aren’t running to the ER for these services. I think that just providing shelter in general to human beings is a good thing.”

Interior Health’s interim chief medical health officer, Dr. Sue Pollock, is also warning people to take care of themselves if they’re working or exercising outside, and to keep an eye on others who may be more susceptible to over heating.

While it is considered a ‘dry heat’, the health authority says heat exhaustion or heat stroke are very real risks. Dr. Pollock notes that they’re also entirely preventable.

“Certainly staying hydrated is very very important,” she explains. “Drinking lots of non-alcoholic fluids and wearing loose, light fitting clothing and trying to limit activities to the hours when it is cooler, so early morning and later evening are really really important.”

On top of the health risks, Environment Canada says the sky high temperatures and dry conditions also post a wildfire threat.

According to meteorologist Bobby Sekhon, temperatures in this range aren’t entirely unusual in the summer, but the timing is. Traditionally, he says June sees milder temperatures before this kind of near-record heat arrives in July and August.

“This weekend, the ridge builds back even stronger and we’re forecasting temperatures upwards of 40 degrees in Kamloops,” explains Sekhon. “Now, in the month of June, since records began in Kamloops we have not hit 40 degrees in June so that would be quite exceptional if we do get to that mark.”

While the forecast for next week is predicting slightly cooler temperatures, that may not be ideal during this dry period. Sekhon says when a period of hot weather is followed by cooler temperatures, a risk of thunderstorms tends to follow.

With how dry the spring has been for the Interior, the forecaster warns that wildfires could be a possibility in the coming weeks if people are not careful with their outdoor activities.