Maritimers respond to record setting temperatures

Hot temperatures prevailed across the Maritimes on Wednesday.

Summer-like weather has finally hit the Maritimes. After a cool and damp start to spring across the Maritimes, temperatures jumped into the mid 30s Wednesday with the humidex making it feel even hotter.

The heat broke 90-year-old records in some communities.

“As you know, the Annapolis Valley can get pretty hot,” says Craig Gibson, Kings Regional Emergency Management Organization (REMO) co-ordinator.

He admits he’s keeping a close eye on the temperature.

“Make sure you take care of each other. If you know people that are vulnerable, seniors who are maybe by themselves or people that are living alone, just be a good neighbour and check on them and make sure the air-conditioning is working.”

Today’s heat doesn’t require the opening of emergency shelters, but Kings REMO is posting regular updates on social media.

“We want to make sure that the public is aware that there is going to be extreme heat and we are concerned certainly with regards to their health,” Gibson says.

Catherine Manning has to work where it’s hot. The farmer from Falmouth, N.S., spends a lot of time in her greenhouses with her heat-loving plants like lettuce, tomatoes, and peppers. She points to a thermometer that shows the temperature sitting at 41 C.

While the plants are thriving, the humans are being cautious.

“We start our day a lot earlier. Today happened to be one of our picking days and plants wilt quickly in this kind of weather, so we try to get things picked before it gets too, too hot,” Manning says. “We take a lot more water breaks, we take a lot more breaks indoors out of the sun.”

Good advice for both plants and humans as this first blast of summer-like heat gives us a taste of what Maritimers could be facing in the months to come.

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