Temperatures could get as high as 40 C

Try not to get bowled over by a heat wave.

Environment Canada has issued a heat warning that spans the Okanagan valley for the next three days.

The meteorological agency says that daytime temperatures will reach or exceed 35 C Tuesday, and the air will get even hotter through mid-week and maximum temperatures will peak close to 40 C on Thursday.

Overnight minimum temperatures will only recover to the upper teens to 20 C for the next several nights.

“The risks are greater for young children, pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic illnesses and people working or exercising outdoors,” reads the Environment Canada missive.

READ MORE: KEEP BABIES OUT OF THE SUN

“Drink plenty of water even before you feel thirsty and stay in a cool place.”

Environment Canada recommends checking on older family, friends and neighbours —make sure they are cool and drinking water

Seek a cool place such as a tree-shaded area, swimming pool, shower or bath, or air-conditioned spot like a public building.

Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to BCstorm@canada.ca or tweet reports using #BCStorm.

@KelownaNewsKat

kmichaels@kelownacapnews.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.</s>A heat warning for Sunday and Monday has been issued by Environment Canada.

Daytime maximum temperatures of 31 C or higher, with humidex values reaching 40 C, are expected both days and overnight temperatures are forecast to fall to only near 20 C, providing little relief.

A cold front is expected to move through the region Tuesday, bringing an end to extreme heat, Environment Canada said in the warning posted early Sunday morning.

“Heat warnings are issued when very high temperature or humidity conditions are expected to pose an elevated risk of heat illnesses, such as heat stroke or heat exhaustion,” the warning states.

Risks are greater for young children, pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic illnesses and people working or exercising outdoors, Environment Canada said.</s>A heat wave that continues to grip Japan has sent more than 70,000 people to hospitals across the country over the last three months, far exceeding the previous annual record in 2013, government data showed Tuesday.

A total of 71,266 people, including 138 who died, were rushed to hospitals for suspected heatstroke and heat exhaustion between April 30 and Aug 5, according to the data from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

The tally already outstripped the previous all-time high of 58,729, registered between June 1 and Sept. 30 in 2013, as the scorching heat has raised the mercury to unprecedented levels in many areas.

On July 23, the temperature reached a Japanese record of 41.1 C in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, prompting the country's weather agency to call the heat "a natural disaster."

The temperature in the city of Gero in Gifu Prefecture logged the country's second-highest level of 41.0 C on Monday.

Tokyo saw the largest number of people taken to hospitals at 5,994, followed by 5,272 in Osaka and 5,195 in Aichi prefectures. Of the 71,266 people, 1,651 were severely sick, making it necessary for them to be hospitalized for more than three weeks, according to the data.

About 40 percent or 29,070 people of the total were taken from their homes, while 5,068 people fell sick at educational facilities, including elementary schools and kindergartens. Elderly people accounted for 48.2 percent of the total.

Over the week to Sunday, 13,575 were rushed to hospitals and 13 of them died, the data showed.

The disaster management agency expects the heat to continue and warned the public to take preventive measures such as drinking enough water and using air conditioners.

In a related development, the education ministry on Tuesday issued an advisory asking local officials across Japan to consider extending this year's summer holiday for pupils as necessary to protect them from heatstroke.</s>Temperatures could get as high as 40 C

Try not to get bowled over by a heat wave.

Environment Canada has issued a heat warning that spans the Okanagan valley for the next three days.

The meteorological agency says that daytime temperatures will reach or exceed 35 C Tuesday, and the air will get even hotter through mid-week and maximum temperatures will peak close to 40 C on Thursday.

Overnight minimum temperatures will only recover to the upper teens to 20 C for the next several nights.

“The risks are greater for young children, pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic illnesses and people working or exercising outdoors,” reads the Environment Canada missive.

READ MORE: KEEP BABIES OUT OF THE SUN

“Drink plenty of water even before you feel thirsty and stay in a cool place.”

Environment Canada recommends checking on older family, friends and neighbours —make sure they are cool and drinking water

Seek a cool place such as a tree-shaded area, swimming pool, shower or bath, or air-conditioned spot like a public building.

Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to BCstorm@canada.ca or tweet reports using #BCStorm.

@KelownaNewsKat

kmichaels@kelownacapnews.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.</s>Lunch was crowded this week at the senior center in the basement of Holy Cross Church, and you might credit the AC.

Walking down the steps to the Project FIND location on 42nd Street in Manhattan, the lightness of the air hits you maybe even more than the temperature. It’s an escape from the muggy, overbearing heat.

The air conditioning is so good that some of the seniors actually asked staffers to turn down the blast, says Augustine Brown, who directs the center.

“We don’t want them to get sick.”

Pleasant cool air is a commodity wherever you can get it this week, with a National Weather Service heat advisory extending into Wednesday. It’s the second heat wave in the city this summer, according to Jonathan Jenkins, an assistant commissioner for logistics for NYC Emergency Management. The city activated its “heat emergency plan” given the high heat index, a measure of heat and humidity. Temperatures hit 93 on Tuesday, with only slightly lower highs expected Wednesday.

Those levels aren’t the fatal ones being seen around the world this summer, including in parts of Europe where thermometers climbed above 100 (that’s Fahrenheit).

But the current heat wave is serious in NYC, particularly to “vulnerable populations” like seniors, children, and people with pre-existing conditions, says Jenkins.

To combat the heat, the city’s emergency plan includes checking on homeless New Yorkers. The FDNY allows people to sign out a spray cap to turn a hydrant into a sprinkler. And around 500 facilities are activated as “cooling centers” where New Yorkers can go during the hottest parts of the day.

The centers are in places like libraries or NYCHA buildings that are already known to residents, says Jenkins. The senior center at the church on 42nd Street is one such place.

With the AC, the temperature there was a comfortable 65 degrees on Tuesday afternoon. Brown, the center director, said there had been a high of 190 people for lunch on Monday during the heat of the day. Attendance was 130 on Tuesday. Many trickled out afterward, but the center often has regulars and people looking to pass their time out of the elements. A line of computers against the street-side wall was in high demand. Some seniors sat and watched sports on a big flat-screen TV. Others sat at the lunch tables scattered around the room.

One group played their regular game of knock rummy, flicking cards across a plastic tablecloth. Card player John Andrew, 63, said he comes all the way from Staten Island partially for the company but especially when it’s hot. He has AC at home, it’s true, “but this is better because it’s free.”

Closer to the kitchen, Juan Rosario sat with the company of a large duffel bag. Rosario, 71, sleeps nights next door at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. It’s cool enough in there but he isn’t allowed to stay indefinitely, even though he purchases a cheap $10 bus ticket every day for an excuse to fall asleep in an upright chair.

He says he has breathing issues and comes to the church basement during the day to cool down, one of many New Yorkers for whom rising temperatures is a real problem.

“The heat out there, it’s murder for me.”</s>The National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory for most of Central New York as temperatures are expected to rise into the 90's.

A Heat Advisory has been issued for Oneida County, Onondaga County, Madison, Sounther Herkimer, Seneca, Southern Cayuga counties. The advisory includes the cities of Boonville, Penn Yan, Seneca Falls, Auburn, Syracuse, Hamilton, Oneida, Rome , and Utica , as well as Ilion, Herkimer, Little Falls, Mohawk, Frankfort, Norwich, and Dolgeville.

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 9 PM EDT MONDAY...

The National Weather Service in Binghamton has issued a Heat

 Advisory, which is in effect from 11 AM to 9 PM EDT Monday.

* HEAT INDEX VALUES...In the mid to upper 90s, due to temperatures

 in the lower 90s, and dewpoints near 70.

* TIMING...From the midday hours into the early evening.

* IMPACTS...The heat and humidity may cause heat stress during

 outdoor exertion or extended exposure.

Take extra precautions, if you work or spend time outside. When possible, reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear light weight and loose fitting clothing when possible and drink plenty of water.

To reduce risk during outdoor work, the occupational safety and health administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency, call 9 1 1.

Pets are also susceptible to danger during extreme heat events. Make sure your pets are safe by following these tips from the Humane Society of the United States :
• Never leave your pet in a parked car.
• Watch the humidity - it makes them less able to cool themselves by panting.
• Don't rely on a fan to keep them cool.
• Be on the lookout for heat stroke.</s>The intense heat wave that swept across Southern California Friday left many homes and neighborhoods in the dark while temps were still high.In Los Angeles County alone, nearly 14,000 customers were affected by 163 outages. In Orange County, a little more than 5,400 were without power in 82 outage areas. In the Inland Empire, more than 2,500 customers in Riverside were affected and 1,901 were affected in San Bernardino.From the San Fernando Valley to the San Gabriel Valley, there were transformers out that knocked out power to hundreds of people."My mother-in-law who hasn't been well is 93 and ended up going to the emergency room, which is before the power went out," Sherman Oaks resident Jim said.In one area, restaurant employees were watching as crews worked to fix blown power lines while the business was shuttered because of the power loss.There was a similar scene at The Grove, where an outage disrupted what was already a hot and busy night."Everything went out. This is way too hot, I'm trying to leave right now," Naif Alsharif said.In addition to the power outages, brush fires were sparked all over the Southland and heat records were broken.A brush fire forced evacuations for Forest Falls in San Bernardino County. The 1,000-acre blaze was 0 percent contained as of Friday night.The hot and very dry conditions nearly killed a hiker, who collapsed while climbing near Runyon Canyon. Thomas Frye Jr. spoke exclusively with Eyewitness News after he helped save the woman's life."She was gasping for air. She couldn't really breathe and she was just saying, 'I can't breathe. I can't breathe.' To the point where she fell over and said she had to vomit," he said.Thanks to Frye and his friend, she was able to get to safety. First responders airlifted the woman to a nearby hospital before it was too late.In Los Angeles, temperatures hit a high of 108, which is 14 degrees higher than the last record set. By nightfall, conditions did not get any better as the temperatures only dipped into the upper 90s.The worst of the intense heat wave is still ahead, with even hotter temperatures expected over the weekend.The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and SoCal Edison urge customers to conserve energy during the evening hours or turn air conditions to a higher and bearable temperature.</s>LISBON, Portugal — The Latest on Europe's heat wave (all times local):

France's health minister says only about 4 percent of the visits to hospital emergency rooms across the country are linked to the current heat wave, which the government considers a relatively low level.

Minister Agnes Buzyn, visiting the Necker pediatric hospital in Paris on Sunday, said 18 out of 650 emergency services in France were considered "under tension" due to more patients and a lack of staff, especially in the northeast, where this week's high temperatures are more unusual.

She says "I think that our society is starting adapting to the heat wave."

But Buzyn warned against carrying small babies in wrap carriers — which tends to keep them warm— and to watch out so that children under six don't drown in private swimming pools.

The heat mwave in France is expected to last until Thursday, with temperatures peaking on Tuesday. Four nuclear reactors have already been temporarily closed in France due to the high heat.

Lisbon has broken a 37-year-old record to notch its hottest temperature ever as an unrelenting wave of heat bakes Portugal and neighboring Spain.

Portugal's weather service said the capital reached 44 degrees Celsius (111.2 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday, surpassing the city's previous record of 43 C (109.4 F) set in 1981.

The day's hottest temperature of 46.8 C (116.2 F) was recorded at Alvega in the center of Portugal. The country's highest temperature on record is 47.4 C (117.3 F) from 2003.

The hot, dusty conditions across the Iberian Peninsula are the result of a mass of hot air from Africa.

Sunday's forecast calls for temperatures to dip slightly while remaining extremely high.</s>People cool of with water from a fountain during a hot summer day, in the basque city of Vitoria, northern Spain, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018. Hot air from Africa is bringing a heat wave to Europe, prompting health warnings about Sahara Desert dust and exceptionally high temperatures that could peak at 47 degrees Celsius in Spain and Portugal.</s>
A heat wave in Spain kills nine people.