Heating up

Sunday’s heat wave broke a nine-year-old record for the hottest temperature on July 17.
Temperatures reached 33.7 C on Sunday, which broke the previous record of 33.4 C in 2002. With the Humidex, the temperature felt more like 45 C.

Graham Saunders, a local climatologist, said that’s a dangerous temperature to work in since the high humidity makes it difficult for people to sweat and cool down.

“I’ve read some recommendations that if the Humidex is between 40 C to 45 C then you should have very limited working sessions,” Saunders said.

“I’m not sure if employers want to do this but I’ve read that you should probably rest 40 minutes out of the hour but of course you don’t get much done. In theory when the Humidex is around 40 you shouldn’t be working at all especially in bright sunshine.”

He added that people should limit the amount of time they spend outside and make sure to drink lots of water.

In comparison to last year in July, the weather stayed warm but didn’t get much higher than 30 C.

He added this kind of weather could lead to severe thunderstorms.

“Both the heat and especially the moisture mean that some of the conditions are right for thunderstorms and sometimes violent thunderstorms,” he said.

“The moisture in the air actually contributes to taller thunderstorms and they tend to be more violent.”