Many parts of the Maritimes are receiving unusually high temperatures this weekend, with some areas seeing their thermometers hit 35 degrees or more.
“I’m staying in the water and staying in the shade,” said Jordan Whelan.
The warm air first hit the region on Friday, bringing record-high temperatures to parts of mainland Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Those temperatures made their way to Cape Breton on Saturday, making many residents take extra precautions.
“Keep her in the shade, lots of water, lots of cover up, hat, and everything. Sunblock!” said Michael McKinnon.
The sweltering conditions forced some runners to reduce their speeds to walking during a road race in Marion Bridge, N.S.
“Exercise in the heat is not dangerous,” said emergency room physician Dr. Chris Milburn. “As long as you don’t overdo it, as long as you’re reasonably well hydrated.”
The head of the emergency room at Cape Breton Regional Hospital says the first really warm weekend of the year typically sees an increase in patients to the island's already overflowing emergency rooms.
“Especially on the first few hot days, we see a few people who have overdone it. They have a project to do outside, and they decide they’re going to do it even though they start to feel unwell. They end up coming in either dehydrated or low in salt,” said Milburn.
In Halifax, temperatures cooled down a little on Saturday with a breeze in the air. Construction crews in the area say it’s still plenty warm as they work outside all day.
“It’s tiring. You get tired a lot easier, people get crankier,” said construction worker, Joni Fagan. “I find the traffic gets a little bit meaner, a little more aggressive in the heat.”
In northern New Brunswick, humid temperatures were still in full force on Saturday.
“The last couple of days you could cook out here without a stove!” explained Miramichi resident Charles McMahon.
It was a different story in Louisbourg, N.S., on Saturday where fog rolled in by mid-afternoon, making the temperatures drop several degrees.
For those looking for relief from the heat wave, CTV meteorologist Kalin Mitchell says a cold front is coming through soon to break the heat and humidity, but not before a few more days of high temperatures.
“There’s really not a lot you can do to stay out of the heat,” said Fagan. “You’ve got to stay hydrated. It’s all about the hydration. Keeping yourself in the shade, and don’t stand directly in the sun for more than two hours.”
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ryan MacDonald
