Hot, dry weather comes with cautions and a few benefits

Calgary was under a heat warning Wednesday with forecast high of 29C.

While many were out taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather, it came with cautions as well.

EMS spokesperson Adam Loria says it's important to remember to cover up with loose clothing or sunscreen, wear a hat, take breaks and keep drinking water.

"Ideally hydration begins the day before - 12 to 24 hours - before going outside," Loria says. "Try to stay hydrated with water throughout the day if you are outside."

The Drop In says it has plenty of space for the city's vulnerable to come and cool off and take shelter from the heat. Staff are working with 20 outreach agencies in the city to make sure sunscreen, hats and water bottles make it to people who may not come to the shelter.

One unexpected benefit of the hot dry spring is a drop in mosquito numbers which are slightly below normal and appear to be falling according to Alexandra Coker, a pest management technician with the City of Calgary.

Temperatures in Calgary hit 29 degrees Wednesday

She says traps are showing a decline in numbers since the previous week. There are roughly 35 species of mosquito in Calgary. They can travel up to 10 kilometres from where they hatch in search of a blood meal. The city does do some control work around the city's outer edges, using a targeted bacterial agent that exclusively kills mosquito larva.

As always in Alberta, the big question is, what's coming next?

"It's all about habitat. Is there water for them to breed in? So are we going to get the summer rains?" says Ken Fry, an entomologist and instructor at OIds College. "If we get the summer rains and we get accumulations of water, then we're going to get mosquitoes."