Heat warning issued for Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Environment Canada has rescinded a special weather statement and replaced it with a heat warning suggesting temperatures will top 30 degrees in Metro Vancouver and 32 degrees in the Fraser Valley.

With the return of “adverse” weather conditions this week comes fresh reminders to drink lots of water and stay cool.

Doctor Michael Schwandt, a medical health officer with the Fraser region, says early signs of exhaustion include heavy sweating, as well as feeling weak and tired.

“Really when we start to see what we’d call neurological effects like dizziness, fainting, confusion, headache and even nausea and vomiting, those can be early affects that the heat illness has become more severe.”

He says the key to keeping cool and hydrated is simple.

“Plan ahead restricting strenuous physical activity during periods of high heat is very important and drinking lots of fluids ahead of time rather than waiting to feel hot or thirsty. Finally, to seek cool spaces is really quite crucial.”

Schwandt is now expecting more people to end up in the ER, but he says numbers have been low so far this summer.

“This is a sign that people hopefully are being able to take good measures to prevent themselves from experiencing heat illness. Try to mitigate that. As we often say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and that’s certainly the case for a heat illness,” he says.

“We know that during some of the hotter times of the year, there can be increased heat illness and a lot of times people will seek medical care for that. That could be through their family doctors, through urgent cares and emergency medical services.”

He adds you should only go to emergency if your symptoms are severe.

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