Heat warnings prompt two River Valley schools to move graduation ceremonies
Even though summer officially starts on Thursday, June 20, at 5:50 p.m. Atlantic Time, Mother Nature seems to have missed the memo.
On Monday evening, Environment Canada issued heat warnings, for all of New Brunswick, with the extreme heat expected to last until Friday.
On Wednesday and Thursday, temperatures in the province are expected to peak between 30 and 35 degrees Celsius, with the humidex making it feel more like 39 to 45 degrees Celsius.
Jim Prime is a Warning Preparedness Meteorologist with Environment Canada in Fredericton. He says the biggest issue with the current forecast is that evenings don’t provide a break in the temperatures.
“It’s not just going to be hot during the day, we’re not cooling off at night. Our nighttime lows are (predicted to be) 19 to 23 degrees. Those were our highs last week, so we’re not getting any break, which is what causes problems with prolonged periods of heat,” he said.
The heat has caused a few hiccups for graduation ceremonies in the region. Without air conditioning in both the Hartland and Canterbury schools, both ceremonies scheduled for Wednesday evening have been moved for safety reasons. Hartland Community School will have their graduation event at the AYR Motor Centre in Woodstock, while the Canterbury High School ceremonies have been moved to the Canterbury Community Centre.
Prime says we can expect some relief on Friday when the wind direction changes to a more northwest flow, providing less intense temperatures.
In extreme heat, people are urged to drink plenty of water, take frequent breaks, seek shade, and try to schedule activities during the coolest parts of the day for those who have to work outside in extreme temperatures.
