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A New Brunswick heat warning from Environment Canada has been extended into Saturday and expanded to now include more of the province.
On Thursday, the heat warning was expected to continue through Friday and excluded a portion of northwestern New Brunswick and an area along the southern coast.
Now, the warnings say the hot and humid weather could persist through Saturday, and the northwestern chunk of New Brunswick has been included in the notice. The warning still excludes the Fundy coast.
According to Environment Canada, the maximum temperature range for Friday is 31 to 33 C, with a humidex of 38. And the maximum temperature on Saturday is 28 C with a humidex of 36.
The Environment Canada warnings urge people to watch for early signs of heat exhaustion and to drink water often — before feeling thirsty.
On Thursday, the hottest recorded temperature from Environment Canada in New Brunswick was in Miramichi, where it reached 34.6 C.
Several other communities were close behind, recording temperatures in the low 30s, with humidex values much higher.
Most municipalities have not opened designated cooling centres, but many pointed to locations where cooling systems could be accessed, such as some public libraries, recreation centres and town halls.
In an email, the City of Fredericton said designated cooling centres are only opened by the city when a Level 3 heat alert is issued by the province. In the email, a spokesperson said a Level 3 alert is a humidex value of greater than 45.
Drink lots of water
Warren Maddox, executive director of Fredericton Homeless Shelters, said the critical point for vulnerable populations is when the temperatures don’t come down at night and provide relief.
The best tool to combat the heat, he said, is water. He said if people have the means and are at a grocery store, they could pick up some extra cases of bottled water to bring to a shelter. The shelters are air-conditioned, which also helps, he said.
But Maddox said the organizations that work with vulnerable people are keeping an eye on the homeless population and that the bigger threat is older people who are living alone and may not have air-conditioning.
“We’ve got the homeless population covered,” he said. “Make sure you reach out to your mother or your grandmother or your elderly neighbour. Make sure they’re doing OK.
“And if you want to go the extra mile and buy a couple of cases of water, drop it off to the shelters or Ironwood. That’s the impact you can have.”
Environment Canada heat warnings have been in place for much of New Brunswick since Wednesday.