Heat warnings in effect across the Maritimes to kick off the weekend

On what felt like a dog day of summer, Halifax vendor John Zobaric was selling his dog toys in the sweltering heat on Friday.

“I am lucky, because I am in the shade,” said Zobaric, “I pity the people who are out in the boardwalk.”

Heat warnings extend across mainland Nova Scotia, with the maximum temperature ranging from 29 to 31 degrees Celsius, with the Humidex making it feel like 35 to 38 degrees.

The Halifax waterfront was jammed in the afternoon with people enjoying, and enduring, the sticky heat and sunny weather, with many visiting from out of town.

Mitch Butler cooks French fries and burgers with no air-conditioning.

“At least 40 degrees,” said Butler, who added it is tough to handle, but good for business.

“Look at all of the people. It’s beautiful down here.”

Summertime is also the season for road work.

Road construction crew member Michael Egan says he has felt worse heat.

“I was in Uganda one year,” said Egan, who learned a clever trick which helps him stay cool when everyone else is feeling hot.

“I drink hot tea, I sweat a little bit,” said Egan. “And then I get cooled off with the wind.”

Others prefer a good splash in the water, or say they simply stay hydrated before, and after, a five km walk.

“I drink probably 10 glasses,” said 73-year-old Roger Whitman.

HEAT WARNINGS ACROSS THE MARITIMES

The heat warnings also extend into Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

Friday was the second day in a row temperatures climbed into the 30s across most of Atlantic Canada.

“It’s really hot… like it’s too hot to work,” said Ryan Murphy with Mader’s Roofing & Masonry in Dartmouth, N.S.

To help keep workers safe in the hot conditions, the company called it a day early on Friday.

“You just get really hot, you have to drink lots of water to stay hydrated, and yeah you kind of get a little light headed,” Murphy said.

The City of Moncton issued a Hazard Alert to employees on Thursday, which are continuing through the weekend.

“Employees were advised to use sunscreen, limit their exposure to the heat where possible, and to consume plenty of fluids,” said Aloma Jardine, manager of strategic communications, in an email to CTV Friday.

“Workers were given a list of symptoms of heat injury and asked to report any symptoms to supervisors.”

She adds that water, watermelon, frozen treats and fruit were also passed out regularly and staff were encouraged to take frequent breaks in air-conditioned spaces.

In Bathurst, at the Chaleur Regional Hospital, part of the air conditioning system was out of service between Wednesday and Friday afternoon.

Officials say it was restored on Friday afternoon, but several measures were put in place, including a portable air conditioner in the emergency room and asking the public to limit non-essential visits.

PREPARING FOR THE HEAT

The heat warnings had Maritimers rushing to prepare.

“Today? Air conditioners for sure,” said Home Hardware assistant store manager, Jeff Irving, in Moncton, N.B.

Before this week, he said sales were slow, but it isn’t surprising to see the rush with the current forecast.

“We sold out of all of our dehumidifiers earlier this week and we were down really low on our numbers for air conditions, so we just got a shipment in this morning,” he said.

Fans, air conditioners and dehumidifiers are flying off the shelf, but he’s hoping the new shipment from Friday morning will at least last the weekend.

“It’s on sale for the weekend and we’ll probably sell a lot in the next three days,” Irving said.

While not everyone had to buy new equipment, that doesn’t necessarily mean it has been smooth sailing. Parker’s HVAC in Moncton has had a stead line up of clients.

“Sometimes it’s small things -- capacitors, contactors, small electrical parts, wearable parts that will get stressed in the extreme conditions,” said Ben Branscombe, owner and head technician.

He says they’ve had calls for everything from basic maintenance to catastrophic repairs.

“This week has been all 12-hour days, I had a few over the weekend with the long weekend and the heat hitting and then yesterday was 14 hours,” he says, which doesn’t include any paper work.

Over the winter months, he says the equipment has a backup system for heat and most people don’t notice damage until they switch to cool when the temperatures start to climb.

“I think there’s some things that are going to happen when the system is pushed to its limits, but when it’s pushed to the limits and it hasn’t had regular maintenance, just simple things like dirty filters can make a big difference,” said Branscombe. 

Environment Canada says the very warm and humid weather could last into Saturday for some areas of the Maritimes.

Other areas across the country are also bracing for sweltering conditions to last into the weekend.