'Everybody is melting': Lethbridge prepares for a massive heat wave

Kids try to keep cool at the Galt Gardens spray park in Lethbridge Monday

Lethbridge, Alta. -

The Streets Alive outreach team was out before the noon Monday, checking downtown parks and handing out water to vulnerable members of the community.

“We’ll do whatever needs to be done to keep them healthy,” said team member Mackenzie Filewych.

“They definitely need help in the hot weather, because there’s not many places they can go just to cool off.”

At Galt Gardens, staff and volunteers from other agencies were also handing out water, sunscreen, and snacks.

“Arches, McMan, Sage Clan, they’re all out here,” said Cody Fox, who was part of a group from the Indigenous Recovery Coach Program.

“I guess we’re all out helping the community,” said Fox.

Streets Alive outreach team hands out water at downtown Lethbridge parks

COMMUNITY EFFORT

The organizations are part of a community effort to be proactive, in preparation for an expected stretch of sweltering heat.

“When temperatures do get this high our bodies do have a difficult time in regulating their temperature,” said Lethbridge’s emergency preparedness manager Luke Palmer.

“Of course it’s compounded with overnight temperatures not reaching low levels,” he added.

The entire province is under a heat warning, with Environment Canada predicting day time highs of between 36 and 38 degrees over the next four days.

If Lethbridge does reach those extreme temperature levels, they would exceed the record highs for the end of June. 

According to CTV Lethbridge weather specialist Dory Rossiter, the current records for June 29, July 1 and July 2 were 34 degrees. The all time high on June 30 was set in 1944, when it reached 36.

“Of course we do see hot temperatures,” said Palmer. “But never a length of this long duration of heat.”

FORECAST: MORE HOT WEATHER

The 14 day forecast calls for temperatures to remain 30 Celsius or higher through July 12.

Spray parks, swimming pools and nearby lakes are expected to be busy.

“Oh my gosh,” said Hailee Letkeman, who took her kids to cool off at the Galt Gardens spray park.

“We don’t have air conditioning in our house so everybody is melting,” she added.

Retail stores said anything heat-related has been selling quickly. Canadian Tire at Centre Village Mall received a shipment of more than a dozen portable air conditioners on Monday morning. They sold them all in an hour.

Fans are flying off the shelves

Many retailers said inflatable swimming pools have been sold out for more than a month. Fans, sprinklers and garden hoses are also selling quickly.

Heat waves can enhance drought conditions, cause a draw on electricity and cause an increase in heat related illness.

COOLING CENTRES

The city is exploring the use of city facilities as cooling centres, indoor spaces where people can cool off, including the malls, downtown park n’ ride terminal, and starting Friday, the Lethbridge Public Library.

“Really we are trying to engage on some of the lessons learned from last month’s heat wave,” said Palmer.

He added, the goal is to have supports in place from the beginning so they don’t experience delays if they are required in the coming days.

The city said its emergency social service team is on standby, and both the Red Cross and Salvation Army are prepared to provide assistance should additional resources be needed in the heat wave.