Crazy hot weather in Canada kills 130 people

Egle-K

Just read about this in a news story

Dozens of people have died in Canada amid an unprecedented heatwave that has smashed temperature records.

Police in the Vancouver area have responded to more than 130 sudden deaths since Friday. Most were elderly or had underlying health conditions.

On Tuesday, Canada recorded its highest ever temperature for a third straight day - 49.5C (121F) in Lytton, British Columbia.

Before this week, temperatures in the country had never passed 45C. The heatwave is due to a dome of high pressure hovering over the north-western US and Canada.

Those are crazy temperatures for a place that does not normally get so hot!

They say climate change increases the amount of these extreme weather events but they can not link any single weather event to the global warming.

John

49.5 is Incredibly hot. We were in that heat in Death Valley and it was pretty brutal, but you kind of expect it there.

If it just randomly arrives somewhere that isn't used to it, then I can see how it could cause big issues.

Ash

That is absolutely crazy. I don't think the UK has ever had temperatures like that so I'm not sure how we would even cope with that. We barely function properly with 25C+

Mirmar

Part of the problem is the same with extreme cold weather. People think that they can do anything, that it does not affect them, that guidelines do not fit for them.

It's not true though. Get out of the sun, stay cool, hydrate, be sensible!

Vilte

Mirmar People think that they can do anything, that it does not affect them, that guidelines do not fit for them.

So true. Please people stay safe and sensible in the heat wherever you are.

Piri

Vilte So true. Please people stay safe and sensible in the heat wherever you are.

Well I am not so sure about that. It depends from many factors as well if the place is not used to have such the heat they are not build for it and do not have infrastructure, buildings.

As well is with a cold and snow, ect.

Like in UK trains stops and kids don't go to school when it is a bit more snow than usual, but in Lithuania it needs to be extreme cold and snow does not really matter. In Denmark people are not really used to drive if roads are a bit icy or they don't have the rules to change tires in the certain time as in some countries is mandatory. Spain have siestas because in some areas is quite an extreme heat, but most of the world don't have it because the weather is different.

Climate change cause these changes and we can implement some upgrades, but sometimes people can't adapt so fast.

But of course everyone can be as much as possible consious.

Skylar

We had freak extreme weather events before so it is not so 100% sure that it is related and could have happened anyway, but climate change makes the chance of the freak events much higher, so we need to get used to more extreme freezes, more extreme heat like this, more huge storms. Scary stuff!

Ash

The one good thing about COVID-19 was the normalisation of working from home. Even if we do return to offices part-time in the future, hopefully, people can decide to stay at home when things like this occur. Because travelling to and from work can't be fun in this type of heat

Piri

Ash The one good thing about COVID-19 was the normalisation of working from home.

People who can work from home usually has higher incomes. But not the ones who actually make it possible to stay all the time at home, who work in the fields, streets, ect. the countries who has very little work from home.

Ash

True. The blue-collar workers will suffer a lot since their jobs are a lot more physical. I guess the only thing that can be done is to offer them support and regular breaks. Because I can't see places closing down to ensure their staff are safe just because of hot weather

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