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A look at Saturday’s Edmonton weather by Environment Canada.
It’s 20 C at the Edmonton Blatchford weather station early Saturday, with 10 km/h winds out of north, northeast.
You can smell it, taste it but there’s nothing good about what is brewing in this hot as hell kitchen.
The region’s relentless heat wave is now entangled with wildfire smoke from northern Alberta and B.C.’s interior.
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Two weather alerts Saturday for Edmonton, St. Albert and Sherwood Park warn of extreme heat of up to 36 C in the coming days and poor air quality due to the smoke, which is also causing visibility issues in some instances.
Late Saturday or overnight thunderstorms may offer brief respite but temperatures will still climb to 32 C Saturday, 34 C Sunday, and 35 C Monday before rain blows in late next week.
“The combination of heat and very poor air quality in smoke will increase the risk to your health,” warns Environment Canada, encouraging everyone to consider rescheduling outdoor plans until things clear.
Everyone needs to watch out for each other in this type of heat event, with the young, old, pets, isolated individuals and outside workers particularly at risk. Needless to say but saying it as a dark reminder: vehicles can become coffins in such fiery temperatures; never leave any living thing inside a parked car, windows cracked or not.
Air quality advisory
Environment Canada warns that during heavy smoke conditions, “everyone is at risk regardless of their age or health. The fine particles in wildfire smoke pose the main health risk.”
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Smoke will make you sick so you need to listen to your body, says the advisory, adding that symptoms from poor air quality include eye, nose and throat irritation, as well as serious but less common chest pains or severe cough. It is smart to reschedule or cancel outdoor sports and events but those who must be outside should consider using a respirator-style mask, like NIOSH-certified N95, though there are still health risks.
Indoor air can also be protected from wildfire smoke with air filter in ventilation systems and certified portable air purifiers that can filter fine particles.
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Today’s forecast
Today: Mix of sun and cloud with 30 per cent chance of showers late afternoon and a risk of thunderstorm. Widespread smoke. High 32 C. Humidex 38. UV index 7 or high.
Tonight: Partly cloudy with 30 per cent chance of showers and risk of thunderstorm in the evening. Widespread smoke. Low 19 C.
Tomorrow: Sunny, hazy. High 34 C. Humidex 41. UV index 7 or high. Clear overnight. Low 22 C.
Sunrise: 5:32 a.m.
Sunset: 9:48 p.m.
Normals:
Max: 23 C
Min: 12 C
On this day (1996-2023):
Highest temperature: 27.8 in 2008
Lowest temperature: 7.1 in 1996
Related
Yesterday’s temperature
High: 33.4 C
Low: 19.5 C
Precipitation: 0.0 mm
📸 Eye On Edmonton
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