Long weekend weather: Heat waves drag on across the country

As Canadians head into the long weekend, forecasters say most of the country will experience heat warnings over the coming days.

Temperatures in many parts of the country are expected to reach the mid to upper 30s and with the humidex, other areas could see temperatures approach 40.

Large swaths of the Maritimes are expected to get hot weather through the weekend with humidex conditions reaching the high 30s. Southern Quebec will see similar conditions until Sunday. The "heat event" will continue in Eastern Ontario until Saturday night, when a cooler airmass is expected to settle over the region.

Moving west, southern Saskatchewan could get daytime highs of 37C on Friday. Similar highs are likely in southeastern Alberta, while much of south-central B.C., as well as Vancouver Island, are also bracing for a period of hot temperatures.

“The heat comes from the south and invades the southern part of Canada,” said Peter Kimbell with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

“It basically sits in place until a cold air mass flushes it out.”

The longer the heat sits, the higher the potential for health risks for Canadians.

Then, there's the smoke. The drier and hotter weather is creating a dangerous situation for crews battling the massive wildfire in Jasper National Park, and large swaths of Alberta and the Northwest Territories are under air quality advisories.

James Eastham with Parks Canada says the wildfire has grown about 500 hectares because of the change in weather.

“Over the coming few days we will see higher temperatures and lower relative humidity,” he said.

“And we do anticipate to see a more intense level of fire activity.”

Eastham says the risk to the National Park and the town is still high. However, preparations have been made to protect the community, including redeploying structure protection sprinklers and a volume sprinkler, constructing fire breaks with heavy equipment and burning forest fuels.

Should Canada start naming heat waves?

Caroline Metz with Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation says heat waves in Canada should be named, just like hurricanes.

“If we can start naming and categorizing heat waves in advance it means more people could take things more seriously and be more inclined to take protective action to stay cool and safe,” she said.

Metz says other countries like Greece and Spain have already adopted the practice.