Manitoba braces for 3rd heatwave of the summer
Siloam Mission low on some supplies as it helps people get off Winnipeg's streets and out of heat
You're not imagining it: this summer in Manitoba has been a scorcher.
And it's only going to get hotter — for the next week at least.
That's putting pressure on Winnipeg's largest homeless shelter Siloam Mission, which is low on supplies like towels and hygiene items as the city's most vulnerable try to escape dangerously high temperatures.
According to Environment Canada, up to Aug. 5, there have been 13 days recorded with a temperature of 30 degrees or higher.
That compares to three such days in 2017 during the same period last year. In all of 2017, only seven days were recorded with temperatures higher than 30.
As for heat waves, Southern Manitoba is forecast to experience its third later this week.
Summer 2018 heat waves:
- June 22 to 27
- July 10 to 14
- Aug. 7 to ... tbd. Forecast calls for 4 to 5 days of extreme heat
Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for all of southern Manitoba Monday morning.
Starting Tuesday, many locations will see a four- to five-day stretch of daytime highs of 30 C or higher, while overnight lows are expected to be above 15 C.
You can see if your area is affected by checking Environment Canada's public alerts here.
Empty shelves at Siloam
Luke Thiessen, communications manager for Siloam Mission, said their drop-in centre has been busy with clients trying to escape the city's hot weather.
This means some of their supplies, especially of things like towels, T-shirts, and hygiene products, are depleted.
"We can't keep up all the time," he said.
"I don't know if I've ever seen them this empty."
While they have plenty of bottled water, they're in need of men's and women's underwear, hygiene products like toothpaste and deodorant, towels, and T-shirts.