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A recent national environmental study raises concerns about the risk of extreme heat in the Okanagan region of British Columbia by the middle of the 21st century.
According to the forecasts of Irreversible extreme heat A report released this week by the University of Waterloo in Ontario that climate change could lead to an increase in the maximum temperature in Kelowna to 40 C by 2051, from 35 C between 1976 and 2005.
The duration of the heat waves is also expected to increase, with the average heat wave in Kelowna lasting about six days before 2005, but is expected to double to more than 11 days by 2051.
The report, based on a consultation with 60 experts from across Canada, warns that the longer the extreme heat lasts, the more dangerous it becomes. Last summer’s heatwave killed nearly 600 people across British Columbia; 526 of them died within a week at the end of June 2021.
The study lists Kelowna as one of Canada’s 10 largest metropolitan areas – and the only metropolitan area in British Columbia – most exposed to extreme heat from 2051 to 2080. Other major cities on the list include Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Regina. .
The study also identified smaller communities in inland British Columbia, including Kamloops, Vernon, Penticton and Creston, as vulnerable to extreme heat until the middle of this century.
Dealing with hot flashes
The report outlines dozens of things individuals, businesses and governments can do to alleviate the threat posed by extreme heat, including better emergency planning and heat notification systems.
Sandra Folak, coordinator of the emergency program in the regional region of Central Okanagan, says the interior of the BC has been accustomed to high summer temperatures for many years, but last year’s heat wave was unprecedented and she agrees with some of the the recommended actions of the Report.
“There are definitely things we need to do that are recognized, as we are still learning in our region how the effects of extreme heat coincide with what this report says,” Folak told CBC Daybreak South on Friday.
The report proposes that municipal and regional authorities conduct information campaigns to encourage residents to take preventive measures against the risks of extreme heat.
Folak says more needs to be done to inform people about local cooling centers and other air-conditioned facilities, as many public announcements about their availability did not reach the community last summer.
“Contacting the communities to say in case your apartment doesn’t have air conditioning … you need to get some relief,” she said.
Folak says that although she cannot speak on behalf of the municipalities, she agrees with the report’s recommendation that municipalities use their emergency services to help vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and the homeless, during heat waves.
“Every community has a responsibility to ensure that every citizen … [is] safe, and then we support them when their capacity is beyond their capacity to sustain more, ”she said.
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