Area beaches will be popular over the next few days as a heat wave covers much of B.C. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

heat wave

Record temperatures expected as heat warnings blanket Nanaimo & Oceanside

Aug 14, 2023 | 10:07 AM

NANAIMO — It’s forecast only to last a few days, but the mercury is already rapidly rising on the central Island.

Morning commuters faced temperatures in the low to mid 20’s through Nanaimo and Parksville on Monday, Aug. 14, a sign of things to come with forecasted highs around 34 degrees Celsius over the coming days.

“A strong ridge of high pressure will remain over southern BC through Wednesday. Well above seasonal daytime temperatures combined with elevated overnight temperatures will mean little relief from the heat,” a heat warning from Environment Canada read.

Once elements such as sun intensity, humidity, wind speed and direction are factored in, it’s expected to feel more like 34 degrees in Parksville/Qualicum Beach and 38 degrees in Nanaimo.

Current forecasts suggest the heat will wane later in the week and return to normal conditions by the weekend.

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“The risks are greater for young children, pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic illnesses and people working or exercising outdoors,” Environment Canada continued. “Heat warnings are issued when very high temperature or humidity conditions are expected to pose an elevated risk of heat illnesses, such as heat stroke or heat exhaustion.”

Experts advise people to take precautions to deal with the heat including staying hydrated, relocating to a cooler spot if able, manage blinds and open windows to optimize air-flow and keeping cool air inside.

The City of Nanaimo recommends people visit shopping centres, libraries, or City recreation facilities to beat the heat via air conditioning.

Nanaimo’s emergency program manager Evan Lloyd said it’s also important to check in on elderly or other vulnerable members of your community.

Nanaimo declared a heat advisory through their emergency notification system shortly before 1 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 14.

“What we learned from the heat dome in 2021 is that our elderly community members are the ones who are by far the most vulnerable to these types of events…I think check-ins are a really important step for overall community resilience for these types of events.”

Lloyd said the City will meet as the week progresses to discuss the possibility of providing additional cooling resources.

He said they follow the BC Heat Emergency Response guidelines, which takes into account not only the peak temperature during the day, but also the lowest temperatures at night, and how long those conditions last.

“The threshold for a more advanced response is three or more days of elevated temperatures that meet the threshold for a heat response. For us in the region, it’s 29 degrees (Celcius) above during the daytime and not falling below 16 degrees at night. If we have multiple days of those conditions then we would look at a more advanced response and work with our health partners on that.”

More information on cooling resources within Nanaimo is available here.

The non-profit organization Risebridge (520 Prideaux St.) is also offering a cooling centre this week, which is open to everyone.

Their current cooling centre hours include Monday, Aug 14, from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 15, from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 16 from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m and Thursday, Aug. 17 from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.

The Town of Qualicum Beach has also opened a temporary cooling shelter at their Civic Centre Lions Room (747 Jones St.) starting on Tuesday, Aug. 15 until Friday, Aug 18, open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

An interactive map of locations in Oceanside to escape the heat is available here.

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