Record-setting readings likely this weekend
Even with temperatures expected to climb as high as 40 or 41 C on Sunday, Kamloops’ water-treatment plant will more or less be at an idle.
While the plant is designed to process as much as 160-million litres per day, workers at the facility aren’t expecting residents’ to break the water banks as Kamloops gets hammered by another heat wave this weekend.
“It will probably go into the 110-, 115-million litre range, but that’s where we used to be every day,” said utilities manager Michael Firlotte.
By contrast, in 2006, the facility was putting through 140-million litres of water a day.
Even during last year’s hot spell, the plant never processed more than 121-million litres in a day. Over the last few days, water usage never broke 100-million litres.
“Kudos to the people out there,” Firlotte said.
“The habits are starting to show people are conserving water and using it in a responsible manner.”
While Firlotte isn’t expecting to be excessively busy this weekend, businesses around Kamloops that may offer respite from the heat will be.
Al Deacon, owner of the Fox’n Hounds Pub and the Fox’n Hounds Sahali Liquor store, is expecting both businesses to see an influx of traffic as the sizzling rays hit the Tournament Capital into the weekend.
The same is expected at Aberdeen Mall, where general manager Sandra Desrosiers said heat waves usually bring added traffic looking to trade the outdoor sauna for air conditioning.
The result, Desrosiers said, is an expected spike in sales.
At Scoopz Ice Cream Parlour, owner Adrianne Erlandson is expecting a fair amount of bubble gum, mint chip and cotton candy ice cream to be heading out the doors over the next few days.
At golf courses around the city, tee sheets might be a little more open than usual, though not significantly.
Staff at both the Kamloops Golf and Country Club and Eaglepoint Golf Resort said the tee boxes will likely empty slightly in the heat of the afternoon, but the grounds are as busy as ever in the early-morning and early-evening hours.
Neither location is playing host to tournaments this weekend, but will have the beverage carts brimming in preparation for the climbing temperatures.
Meanwhile, the Kamloops Minor Baseball Association has no concerns about its upcoming event, the Sussex Insurance All-Star Tournament, which runs from July 2 to July 5.
Teams and umpires will be prepared with plenty of water and the concession will be in operation at Norbrock Stadium.
At Alpha Roofing and Sheet Metal Inc., Jake Gallichan said the company is no stranger to Kamloops’ perennial heat waves, which pull its staff from peaks around the city each summer.
Alpha tends to wrap up work around the Tournament Capital once the mercury climbs into the mid-30s.
The company often starts work at the crack of dawn, too, though when it comes to working on residential structures, roofers can’t get underway until 7 a.m.
Alpha usually wraps up the day’s work by 2 p.m.
Unfortunately, the higher temperatures can mean fewer hours for the company’s roofers.
According to WorkSafeBC, as the temperatures climb north of 30 C, restrictions on working outdoors increase.
Heat wave will bring ‘extreme’ danger rating
Digits on outdoor thermometers are expected to edge up to record-breaking temperatures by the weekend — flirting with an all-time high.
An intense high-pressure ridge of hot and dry air has moved into the Interior from the American southwest and may peak on Sunday at
41 C.
“It’s going to be even hotter,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Lisa Coldwells.
“Both days [on the weekend] will be 40 or 41 C — Lytton at 42 C.”
If temperatures go that high, it will best the previous record for June, which was of 39.1 C, set on June 29, 2008.
The all-time high was reached at Kamloops Airport on July 13 of last year, when the mercury climbed to 40.7 C.
The building heat wave is swiftly drying fuels on the forest floor and pushing up the fire danger rating.
Around the city itself, the rating has climbed to high and “it’s probably going to go up by the weekend to extreme,” said Kelsey Winter, a spokeswoman with the provincial wildfire management branch.
As of late Wednesday, only the Salmon Arm, Lytton and Lillooet areas were considered extreme for forest-fire risk.
The province has nearly spent all of its annual firefighting budget of about $63 million, primarily on a major fire in the Prince George region, as well as the Cisco Road fire near Lytton.
But, in the Kamloops fire zone, the province’s busiest, that fire has been the only major event.
“The Cisco Road fire is really the only fire of note we’ve had. If you look at the number [of fires], we’re on par with last year,” Winter said.
“But, there’s 10 times more hectares burned.”
Winter said the size of typical spot fires extinguished is also larger than normal due to unseasonably dry conditions.
The forecast also includes possibility of dry lighting beginning on Sunday, greatly increasing the wildfire hazard.
Coldwells said there is no precipitation in the forecast.
Temperatures early next week are expected to moderate only slightly, to about 36 C. Typical highs for this time of year are 25 C.
Beating the heat
Extreme heat can be dangerous for everyone, but infants and young children are especially at risk because their bodies can heat up much faster than adults.
Heat-related illnesses can be serious and may lead to long-term health problems and even death. Prevention is the key to reducing the risk of heat-related illness.
Here are some tips from the Interior Health Authority:
• If you don’t have an air conditioner, find a place where you can cool off during extreme heat. A shaded area, swimming facility, water park or an air-conditioned spot such as a shopping mall, grocery store or library.
• Limit outdoor time and exposure to the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Keep your child in the shade whenever possible. Tree-shaded areas can be as much as 5 C cooler.
• Bathe your child in a cool bath.
• Use a fan, but be sure to keep it at a safe distance from your child to avoid injury.
• Block the sun by closing awnings, curtains or blinds during the day and opening windows at night to let cooler air into your home.
• Prepare meals that don’t need to be cooked in the oven.
• Symptoms of heat illness include changes in behaviour, dizziness or fainting, nausea or vomiting, headache, rapid breathing and heartbeat, extreme thirst and decreased urination with unusually dark yellow urine.
• Heat stroke is a medical emergency. Call 911 if you or someone you are with is in distress.
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