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Amanda Stephenson
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Simply put, the Hat was hot on
Thursday.
While the city may have narrowly missed
its forecasted high of 36 C, the mercury did hit 35 C at around 1
p.m. before the clouds rolled in and dropped the temperature
slightly later in the afternoon. And those hoping for some relief
today are out of luck — Environment Canada is predicting a
high of 37 C for Friday and 34 C for Saturday.
It made for a tough day for people like
Chris Jangula and his crew from Lethbridge’s Flaman Rentals,
who were in Kin Coulee Park Thursday afternoon setting up
facilities for the Alberta Summer Games.
“You might not go as fast as you
normally go — you just have to pace yourself,”
Jangula said. “The biggest thing is to get that water and
Gatorade in you.”
Tyler Lancaster of South Rock Construction
agreed staying hydrated is critical. He and his fellow workers were
labouring under the blazing sun doing road repairs on Dunmore.
“We keep water on-site, and people
go through litres and litres,” Lancaster said.
He added while he actually likes heat, a lot of people find it very
difficult to work in. “It’s affecting people’s
moods,” Lancaster said.
Enduring the heat is also part of the job
description for the lifeguards at Echo Dale Regional Park.
“On days like this, it gets pretty hot,” said Jaime
Peters. “Anytime we get off, we go inside, get a cold shower
and have a cold drink.”
However, Peters said lifeguards can
probably handle extreme heat better than a lot of other people.
“I don’t think any of us can say we don’t like
heat, because if we didn’t, we wouldn’t be working
here,” she said.
Those who weren’t forced to work
outside yesterday were probably seeking refuge in an air
conditioned environment. But that too can be a problem when the
temperatures soar.
Kendall Woodacre, general manager of the
city’s electric utility, said the utility starts to enter its
maximum operating capacity when temperatures hit that 34-35 C
range.
“Customers are encouraged to think
about that,” Woodacre said, adding air conditioners put the
biggest burden on the grid.
However, Woodacre said he understands it
is difficult to ask residents to turn off their air conditioners in
extreme temperatures.
“That’s why it’s
important for us as a city and as consumers to look at
balance,” he said. “Sometimes air conditioning is
essential, for comfort and for pets, but we can still look at
delaying using the stove, clothes washing or dishwashers until
after peak demand.”
But for business owners like Dan Gaucher
of Budget Blinds Medicine Hat, the heat wave is good news. The
store sells a product called the EZ Snap Window Screen, which can
be installed on the outside of windows to block heat and reduce the
need for air conditioning. Gaucher said the store got the product
just in time for the weather.
“We’re getting probably five
calls a day,” Gaucher said.
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