MONTREAL - The summer heat is set to reach its pinnacle Thursday with the mercury climbing to 35 degrees Celsius and the humidex factor making it feel like 42C to 44C.
“It might even get hotter in really urbanized sectors of the city where’s there’s a lot of concrete and asphalt and few trees,” said Environment Canada meteorologist André Cantin.
While this just may be the kind of sultry weather Montrealers yearn for in the dead of winter, experts warn sunny skies must be taken in moderation. From dehydration to exhaustion, it can take a mere hour for heat stroke to escalate to death.
“The window for intervention can be very short from the time of the increase in body temperature,” said Dr. Louis Jacques of Montreal’s Public Health Department. “It’s an emergency situation and there’s a really high lethal rate when you reach the point of heat stroke.”
Last summer, dozens of deaths were suspected to be related to heat waves hitting Montreal, with the city’s average daily death rate doubling during the temperature peak.
To beat the heat, Jacques urges people to spend at least a few hours a day in an air-conditioned place, avoid strenuous activity, especially outside during the hottest parts of the day, and drink more water than usual without waiting to be thirsty.
Signs to watch for include muscle cramps, headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, general discomfort and difficulties breathing.
Jacques instructs individuals suffering from any of these symptoms to call Quebec’s Info-Santé hotline at 811 and to make an immediate trip to the emergency room if they experience confusion, loss of consciousness or a body temperature of 40C or more.
Children under 5 and people older than 65 are especially vulnerable to the heat, as are those suffering from cardiovascular diseases, respiratory ailments or obesity.
“Whenever the temperature increases, our cardiovascular system must work harder to control our body temperature,” Jacques said. “You have to have a system that works really well to do that.”
While Environment Canada has issued a high heat and humidity warning for Montreal, the city does not intend to put its heat emergency plan into effect just yet.
Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/heat+careful+there/5134001/story.html#ixzz1ShiLd8iX
Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/heat+careful+there/5134001/story.html#ixzz1Shi09MBn
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment