No heat relief for Ontario, Quebec

Public health officials in parts of Ontario and Quebec are urging people to keep cool as scorching temperatures continue, with no relief expected until the end of the week.

Temperatures in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal inched up slightly Wednesday from the day before, according to Environment Canada.

In Ottawa, the mercury rose to 34 C by mid-afternoon, though with the humidity it felt more like 44 degrees. In Toronto, the temperature dropped to 32 C, one degree lower than Tuesday's high of 33 C, but the humidex was 43. And in Montreal, the humidex was 42 C, eight degrees higher than the actual temperature of 34.

Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa's associate medical officer of health, said teams of nurses headed out Tuesday to check on residents in local buildings three storeys or taller that do not have air conditioning.

She said the teams targeted buildings occupied by seniors and made sure people knew how to handle the extreme heat.

"If people are alone, if there's nobody checking in on them, that can lead to more serious outcomes."

For the most part, people are aware that "heat can be deadly," but Etches said people should look for signs the body is too hot, such as nausea, thirst, dry skin and mouth and dizziness.

She urged people to check on neighbours and friends — particularly seniors — to make sure they are not dehydrated or suffering from heat stroke.

The heat wave is causing a spike in emergency room visits at some Ottawa hospitals. Officials said 158 people visited the ER at Montfort Hospital on Monday. Hospital administrators said this was the highest number of people it has ever seen in one day. 

At the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, doctors are seeing more cases of asthma attacks triggered by the heat.  

The smog accompanying the heat prompted health officials to warn people with cardiac or respiratory problems to take special care.

Heat moves east

Parts of Ontario and Quebec are officially experiencing a heat wave after three days of scorching temperatures, but the hot weather is also hitting parts of New Brunswick.

Environment Canada issued a heat and humidex advisory for parts of western New Brunswick Wednesday, noting that a warm and humid air mass "is forecast to push humidex values upwards of 35 for central and northern areas of the province."

"Locally some areas may exceed humidex values of 40, mainly over western areas of New Brunswick," the statement said.

Fredericton's medical officer, Dr. Cristin Muecke, is advising people to avoid strenuous activity during the day and drink plenty of liquids and avoid alcohol and caffeine during the hot weather.

Officials with the city of Montreal and the local public health department will outline special measures to help people deal with the heat wave Wednesday afternoon.

The plan is expected to include opening air-conditioned cooling centres so people can take a break from the hot weather, much like the eight cooling centres open across Toronto.

"We think this will be a hummer of a summer, in terms of the humming of air conditioners," said Dave Phillips, Environment Canada's senior climatologist. "We think what we've seen is not the end of what the summer will bring."

New York City feels the heat

Cities south of the border are also dealing with extreme heat, with record-breaking temperatures Tuesday in New York, where it hit 39 C, and Philadelphia, where it reached 38 C. It was also over 37 C in cities from Richmond, Va., to Boston.

More of the same was forecast for Wednesday, with temperatures expected to reach the high 30s C range.

Deaths blamed on the heat included a 92-year-old Philadelphia woman whose body was found Monday and a homeless woman found lying next to a car Sunday in suburban Detroit.

U.S. National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Korty said the hot air is "not really going to budge much for the next day or two," adding that a system coming in off the Atlantic Ocean after that could cool things off.