Calgary to see above-average temperatures for several more days - Calgary Herald

By noon on Wednesday, Calgary had already hit 33.5 C and counting

Author of the article:

Stephanie Babych

Dawn McClelland cools down in N.W. Calgary as temperatures soared on Tuesday, June 29, 2021. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia Photo by Darren Makowichuk /DARREN MAKOWICHUK/Postmedia

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Above-average temperatures are expected to cling to Calgary for several more days, as the city grapples with the third day of record-breaking heat.

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Calgary broke its daily maximum temperature record on Tuesday and was on track to break the all-time record Wednesday afternoon, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). With a high of 36.3 C reported Tuesday, Calgary surpassed the daily record set on June 29, 1896, of 34.4 C.

By noon on Wednesday, Calgary had already hit 33.5 C and counting. Around 4:30 p.m., the temperature was sitting at 35.5 C, just one-degree shy of the city’s all-time record of 36.5 C.

“It’s going to be close to breaking the record (Wednesday). We’ll know this evening if it was able to heat up that additional amount,” said Justin Shelley, a meteorologist with ECCC.

Calgary had already surpassed the highest temperature recorded on June 30, which was 33.3 C in 1892.

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Shelley explained that the above-average heat will likely be around for the next several days, as the heat dome slides east and weakens off.

“Temperatures are still going to be about three to five degrees above normal this weekend and through early next week. But the heat will be a bit more subtle starting Friday afternoon, there’s a chance we could see some thunderstorms roll off the foothills,” he said.

Environment Canada’s map of weather alerts across the country.

An extreme heat warning remains in place for the entire province, as record-breaking temperatures continue to be reported.  Special air quality advisories that were declared in some regions have been removed in a few areas, including the city of Calgary.

The record heat eased for some parts of British Columbia, Yukon and the Northwest Territories on Wednesday, but eastern B.C. and the prairies were still engulfed in heat.

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In Alberta, there were 12 all-time daytime high records set on Tuesday, ECCC confirmed. Of those 12 records, nine of them had been set the day before on Monday, breaking their all-time record on consecutive days.

Grand Prairie recorded an all-time high of 41.5 C on Tuesday, beating out the previous record of 38.4 C on the day prior. And the Jasper area documented a high of 40.3 C, which broke the previous days’ record of 39 C.

“For this particular heat wave, it’s not surprising to see this. With previous heat waves, the peak heat is usually one or two days so you don’t get these consecutive days of breaking records,” said Shelley.

“This event is different in the fact that we started breaking two or three days ago and we still are today.”

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Environment Canada’s seven-day forecast for Calgary.

AHS said Calgary emergency departments and urgent care centres saw 10 heat-related visits in the past 24 hours, as crews continue to be busy treating sunburns, heat exhaustion, heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses.

Between Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon, EMS crews in Calgary responded to 34 heat-related calls, and EMS in Edmonton responded to 71. Last Friday — before the heat wave — Edmonton and Calgary EMS were called to only seven heat-related incidents combined, according to AHS.

Emergency rooms across the province have been busy the last 24 hours, with 23 heat-related visits in the Central zone, 18 in Edmonton and nine in the South zone. As well, the North zone reported an increase in emergency room visits due to heat.

“Stay hydrated, reduce your heat risk by scheduling outdoor activities during the cooler parts of the day and if you plan to be outside, especially Thursday, be sure to bring water, sunscreen and a hat with you. Always have a way to alter your plans if you notice signs of heat illness in yourself or others,” said Shelley.

Children play in a splash area at Century Gardens urban park (826 8 Ave. S.W.) in downtown Calgary on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. JimWells/Postmedia

Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) said on social media that the record set for energy consumption on Monday was broken again on Tuesday, and the province was likely to see a similar load on the grid Wednesday. The new peak set on Tuesday was 11,721 MW.

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On Tuesday afternoon an emergency energy alert Level 1 was declared, but the alert was cancelled around 6 p.m. when AESO said they had enough energy supply to meet the demand.

AESO is asking people to conserve energy where they can for the rest of the heat wave, especially in peak hours between 4 and 7 p.m.

sbabych@postmedia.com
Twitter: @BabychStephanie

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Calgary to see above-average temperatures for several more days - Calgary Herald
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B.C. records 486 sudden deaths, almost triple the usual number, during heat wave - CBC.ca

At least 486 people died suddenly over the past five days during B.C.'s record-breaking heat wave, almost three times the usual number, the provincial coroners service said Wednesday. 

Roughly 165 sudden deaths would normally occur in the province over that period. The new tally accounts for deaths between Friday and 1 p.m. PT Wednesday, chief coroner Lisa Lapointe said in a statement.

"We believe that heat is very likely a factor in many of those deaths, but that is to be confirmed," she said in a briefing. 

Lapointe said many of the people who died lived alone and were found in residences that were hot and not ventilated. 

She said the 486 number is preliminary and will increase as coroners enter other death reports into the agency's system. 

"It is important we do not lose sight of the fact that each reported death is a person with a family and people who cared about them," she said. 

Coroners have been delayed in responding to scenes due to a surge in sudden deaths in some areas, Lapointe said. 

She said the agency has enlisted coroners from its service who typically don't work in the field and is working to minimize wait times. 

'Took many of us off guard'

Lapointe said B.C. had seen only three heat-related deaths in the past three to five years before the heat wave. 

"This, frankly, took many of us off guard," she said.

"Many of our health services, our first responders, we haven't experienced anything like this in the province previously. It took a bit of time for us to ramp up our response. There were some delays in reaching the coroner and there were some delays in responding to scenes."

She added: "We feel much more confident now that we can respond more quickly." 

Lapointe said the agency will look at patterns in the deaths, including regions where they occurred, the age and sex of the person, any underlying health conditions they might have had and their type of dwelling. 

The report will also study best practices in other jurisdictions and provide recommendations to the province. Lapointe said it will take a couple of months to complete.

"Certainly the province has indicated that they are very looking forward to any recommendations that come forward," she said. 

Lapointe said an updated tally of sudden deaths will be provided Friday. 

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B.C. records 486 sudden deaths, almost triple the usual number, during heat wave - CBC.ca
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Heat dome planted over Alberta and Saskatchewan as more record temperatures expected - CBC.ca

An unrelenting heat wave is gradually moving east across the Prairie provinces Wednesday, and parts of western Canada could again reach record-breaking high temperatures.

Much of British Columbia and Manitoba, parts of the Northwest Territories and all of Alberta and Saskatchewan are under Environment Canada heat warnings.

To blame is what meteorologists have called a heat dome; ridges of high pressure hovering over the Prairies that create an effect much like a pressure cooker.

According to David Phillips, a senior climatologist with Environment Canada, the heat dome is "a long term kind of thing … this one has legs." 

He says that as the heat wave moves east it will become less intense and likely won't reach the eastern provinces.

"Winnipeg would be sort of the last major city to see this heat dome," he said.

A heat wave warning is in effect in several provinces in Canada. As of Wednesday evening, the warning expanded to cover much of Manitoba, and one alert for the Bulkey Valley and the Lakes District area in central B.C. was lifted. (CBC)

Shattering record temperatures

Alberta broke 38 daily temperature records on Tuesday, according to Environment Canada, the hottest of those being 41.5 C in the Grand Prairie area, 40.7 C in the Beaverlodge area and and 39.3 C in the Drumheller area.

The province has had four straight days where it broke daily temperature records in what Phillips calls a "spectacular episode."

Calgary neared its all-time high temperature record, hitting 36.3 C Tuesday. The hottest the city has ever been was 36.5 C, a record set in August 2018, according to Environment Canada.

Today's high is expected to reach 35 C in Calgary, 37 C in Edmonton and 39 C in Grande Prairie.

Most of Manitoba was under a heat warning as of Wednesday evening. 

A new Canadian temperature record was set on Tuesday in the town of Lytton, B.C., which reached 49.6 C.

WATCH | What goes into declaring a heat wave:

We can see some extreme temperatures on the Prairies in the summer — just like in the frigid winter. On average, the Prairies get 15 days of over 30 C weather. But what is a true heat wave? CBC weather host Fiona Odlum explains. 1:27

B.C. continues to see the highest temperatures in Canada — with temperatures in cities like Kelowna, Vernon and Kamloops remaining in the low 40s — though Phillips says temperatures will drop slightly.

"My sense is by this time at the end of the weekend, it will pretty will have passed through," he said. "The warm temperatures will linger, but not as excruciatingly."

The Northwest Territories and Yukon have broken 20 daily temperature records so far. It was 38.1 C in Nahanni Butte, N.W.T., on Monday, the highest temperature ever recorded in the region.

The heat dome, indicated in red, is currently planted over Alberta, moving into Saskatchewan in a northeastern direction. (Fiona Odlum/CBC)

Booking hotel rooms for AC relief

The city of Calgary says water consumption is higher than the city's five year average, and advised people to be mindful of their water use, especially when watering lawns.

Electricity use in Alberta also surged this week, pushing the province past a summer usage record of 10,822 megawatts, set in 2019.

Our water treatment plants are working hard to keep up with a higher than normal demand but we need your help:<br><br>✔️Reduce watering &amp; keep grass min. 3" high<br>✔️If you need to water, do so early morning or after 7pm<br>✔️Use the right tool for watering flowers<br><br>Click 👇 to learn more.

&mdash;@cityofcalgary

Some Calgarians are even checking into hotels to avoid the heat in their homes and take advantage of hotel pools. 

According to Elena Menk, associate director of sales for the Hotel Arts in downtown Calgary, hotel visits are up. 

"We've seen an increase in bookings about 40 per cent in the last seven days," she said. "People are booking just to get some AC going."

Steve Kerr, an Edmonton-based regional sales manager at Service Experts Heating and Air Conditioning, said this summer is his "busiest season I can ever remember in my 20 years."

Calgarians seeking air conditioned hotel rooms and time in the pool are causing a 40 per cent increase in booking at the Hotel Arts in the city's downtown. (Julie Debeljak/CBC)

Dangers of extreme heat

In some cases, the extreme temperatures have turned deadly. In B.C., at least 486 sudden deaths were reported over five days during the province's heat wave, the BC Coroners Service said Wednesday. 

It's too early to know how many of the deaths were "heat related" Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said Wednesday in a statement.

"It is believed likely that the significant increase in deaths reported is attributable to the extreme weather B.C. has experienced and continues to impact many parts of our province," she said.

As of late Tuesday, there were 16 heat-related visits to emergency departments in Calgary and Edmonton.

WATCH | How to beat the heat in your home: 

Beat the heat without AC by following these cool house tips. 1:55

Staying cool in extreme heat

Those living in the areas affected by the heat wave are being advised to take certain precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses, which can sometimes be life-threatening.

Here are some tips to stay safe in extreme heat:

• Avoid the direct sun as much as possible.
• Plan to spend time in a cool, or air-conditioned place, such as a library, a mall or even a movie theatre if you can.
• Drink a lot of water, even before you feel thirsty.
• Avoid strenuous activity and exercise.
• Avoid sunburn and wear sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher on exposed skin and an SPF 30 lip balm.
• Wear lightweight, light-coloured, loose-fitting clothing and a wide-brimmed hat, or use an umbrella for shade.

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Three more COVID-19-related deaths in Waterloo Region; 60 new cases - CTV Toronto

WATERLOO -- Three more Waterloo Region residents died of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, as health officials confirmed another 60 new infections on Wednesday.

The deaths include a man in his 70s, a woman in her 80s, and a woman in her 90s

"I wish to express my deep sympathy to the family and loved ones of each individual," medical officer of health Dr. Hsui-Li Wang said in a statement.

Another 86 cases were also confirmed to be the Delta variant, with 422 cases total now identified as that variant.

The new cases brings the total number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began to 17,584, including 16,885 resolved infections and 416 active cases.

The three latest deaths bring Waterloo Region's total death toll to 265.

Regional officials said there won't be a COVID-19 update on Thursday because of the holiday.

LARGE NUMBER OF DELTA CASES CONFIRMED

Another 93 cases were confirmed as variants of concern on Wednesday, bringing the total number of variant cases in the region to 3,891.

A large batch of cases, 86, were confirmed as the Delta variant, which health officials have said is now the dominant strain in the region.

Waterloo Region's variant breakdown is as follows:

• 3,083 are the Alpha variant, first identified in the United Kingdom and originally known as B.1.1.7
• 11 are the Beta variant, originally detected in South Africa and previously referred as B.1.315
• 61 are the Gamma variant, initially discovered in Brazil and labelled as P.1
• 422 are the Delta variant, first found in India and previous called B.1.617
• 314 cases have had a mutation detected, but have not yet had a variant strain confirmed

ACTIVE CASES DROP

Active cases in Waterloo Region dropped by 41 in the past 24 hours, down to 416.

Hospitalizations dipped by one on Wednesday, with 55 people now hospitalized with the disease. Of those, 24 are receiving treatment in intensive care units.

Three more outbreaks were also declared in the past day, bringing the total number of active outbreaks to 22. Most of the outbreaks are in workplace or facility settings.

In a tweet Wednesday, Region of Waterloo Public Health said close contact spread accounts for about 50 per cent of recent cases. Outbreak-related cases make up about 13 per cent of cases.

Close contact spread accounts for more than 50% of recent cases. This means the variant is spreading through family, friends, and neighbours. Outbreak-related cases account for approx. 13% of all cases. Continue to only have close contact with your household to slow the spread. pic.twitter.com/bhaEyqCH4R

— Region of Waterloo Public Health (@ROWPublicHealth) June 30, 2021

VACCINATION PUSH CONTINUES

Health partners in Waterloo Region administered another 9,712 COVID-19 vaccine doses on Tuesday.

A total of 548,471 jabs how now been put in arms since the vaccine rollout began.

More than 78.4 per cent of adults in the region have received at least one dose, while more than 34 per cent of residents 18 and older are fully vaccinated – a jump of about 2 per cent from Tuesday.

PROVINCIAL INCREASE DROPS BELOW 200

Ontario confirmed 184 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, the lowest daily increase since Sept. 10.

Another 14 deaths were also recorded.

The province's rolling seven-day average now stands at 268, down from 316 at this point last week.

With files from CTV Toronto.

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Pfizer boost coming to Manitoba, more than 35K daily doses expected to be delivered - CBC.ca

Manitoba expects a major boost in its supply of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for the last weeks of July.

The latest vaccine briefing document says 113,500 Pfizer doses are confirmed for the week beginning July 19, followed by 133,400 doses the week after that.

In the seven-day period ending Tuesday, Manitoba administered an average of 25,042 COVID-19 vaccine doses per day.

The province now expects to administer more than 35,000 doses a day by the third week of July.

The weekly Pfizer delivery, which had held steady at 87,800 since the end of May, is reduced for the first two weeks of July to 32,800 and 52,700. Last week, the province had no shipment confirmation beyond that timeframe.

That prompted the province to stop taking new second-dose appointments for 12-17-year-olds. Right now Pfizer is the only COVID-19 vaccine approved for that age group.

That led to long lineups at walk-in clinics where parents hoped to get first or second doses for their children.

People started lining up outside the Leila Avenue vaccination supersite in Winnipeg on Tuesday night in order to grab a walk-in spot on Wednesday morning. By 7 a.m., staff at the site started turning people away.

The Pfizer shortfall had also resulted in adults swapping their appointments to Moderna and transferring their booked Pfizer doses to someone younger.

Fraud warning

The surge in demand for vaccines could be tempting for criminals, which is the experience in other parts of the country, Reimer said.

Health Canada has been made aware of some people claiming to have access to vaccines for sale, she said. The health agency has also been advised of circumstances where people have been notified about next steps after their vaccine by people not authorized to provide such information.

That could be an attempt to gain private information, so people are urged to be alert.

"Please be aware that the COVID vaccine is not for sale. If anyone tries to sell the vaccine, this is illegitimate," Reimer said, although there have not been any incidents reported in Manitoba so far.

"But if you are aware of any suspicious vaccine activity, such as someone trying to sell the vaccine or supply it in volume at cost, please do contact your local law enforcement agency."

Vaccination record

Manitoba set a new single-day record on Tuesday, administering 34,320 COVID-19 vaccine doses. The previous record was 32,616, set on May 27.

The province reported doling out 1,388,305 first and second vaccine doses to its 1.38 million residents as of Wednesday.

That works out to Canada's top per capita rate, with 97,909 shots for every 100,000 residents. Ontario is second with 97,856.

"We are so pleased today to be able to celebrate the fact that more Manitobans are immunized than at any other time in our vaccine rollout and that those numbers continue to go up," Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead of Manitoba's COVID-19 vaccine implementation task force, said Wednesday.

"We hope this trend will continue, especially now that eligibility is wide open for everyone, including youth who are aged 12 to 17."

2nd doses climb

So far, 73.6 per cent of Manitobans age 12 or older have received a first vaccine dose, the province's vaccination dashboard says, while 42.4 per cent have two doses.

"It's really worthy of celebration to know what we have all done together to protect ourselves, protect our loved ones and protect our communities," Reimer said.

"So I want to thank everyone in Manitoba for these exciting numbers."

The province is aiming to get a first dose to 75 per cent of people age 12 and up and second doses to 50 per cent by Aug. 2, as part of its reopening plan.

If Manitoba reaches that goal, capacity limits on businesses are expected to increase to 50 per cent. Those changes could come earlier, should the targets be met sooner, officials have said.

If current trends hold, the target is likely to be reached in early to mid-July, said Johanu Botha, operations lead for the vaccine implementation task force.

"We need to keep this momentum going … and there's good reason to believe that we will," he said, with what he called a "skyrocketing" trajectory for second dose uptake.

Although the rate for first doses is moving much more slowly, it is gaining a little steam, Botha said.

"What we have seen over the last couple weeks or so is it was levelling off and it's [now] slightly going back up in speed," he said.

"Where it used to increase by 0.2 per cent every day, it's now 0.3, 0.4. That's a really broad indicator in the dose one uptick and it probably reflects on a whole host of factors."

Among those is the outreach into regions where there's a lot of vaccine hesitancy, through community-hosted clinics, provincial incentives or walk-in options.

"We are seeing a positive early sign that we are increasing up on that dose one, certainly to the point where we're going to meet all those [reopening] targets."

The third phase of reopening will come on Labour Day, if 80 per cent of Manitobans have one dose and 75 per cent have two.

Breakthrough infections

Reimer touched on the topic of breakthrough COVID-19 infections — cases in a person who has been vaccinated against the virus — saying it should not discourage anyone from getting vaccinated.

The chance of getting COVID-19 without any vaccine protection is vastly higher, she said. 

"We know that none of these vaccines are 100 per cent effective, but we also know that it's very rare to get infected after the vaccine and even more rare to become severely ill," Reimer said.

In all of the COVID-19 hospitalizations in Manitoba from Jan. 1 of this year until June 27, only 1.2 per cent of the people were fully vaccinated, she said.

"So I don't want anyone to be concerned about these breakthrough cases. They are very rare and I don't want them to prevent anyone from being vaccinated."

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More than 80 teens and staffers at an Illinois summer camp got COVID-19 - CTV News

More than 80 teens and adult staffers from a Central Illinois summer camp tested positive for COVID-19 in an outbreak that has impacted people across three states, officials said.

The Crossing Camp in Schuyler County held in mid-June did not check vaccination status for campers or staffers, and masks were not required indoors at the camp, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) said in a news release.

The Crossing Camp has not responded to calls, email or Facebook messages left by CNN on Monday and Tuesday.

All campers and staff were eligible for vaccination, although "IDPH is aware of only a handful of campers and staff receiving the vaccine," the department said Monday.

One unvaccinated young adult who tested positive after attending the camp was also hospitalized, according to IDPH.

In Illinois, 46.1 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, according to the latest data. However, officials across the country have are becoming alarmed by the reluctance of young adults to get vaccinated, especially as the more transmissible Delta variant is spreading more widely.

"The perceived risk to children may seem small, but even a mild case of COVID-19 can cause long-term health issues," IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in Monday's statement. "Additionally, infected youth who may not experience severe illness can still spread the virus to others, including those who are too young to be vaccinated or those who don't build the strong expected immune response to the vaccine," she said.

IDPH said that at least two individuals from the camp also attended a nearby conference, which resulted in 11 additional positive cases of COVID-19.

The week-long camp from June 13-17 was designed was for 8th graders -- through graduating seniors.

An upcoming camp created for fourth- and fifth-grade students has been postponed to August due to the outbreak, according to a message posted on its official website.

"We were so looking forward to spending time with your campers this weekend, but we believe the best way to value and love our students, difference makers, and staff is to delay camp until a safer time," it read.

The Schuyler County Health Department worked with camp staffers "to provide guidance and mitigate the situation," according to a county statement from last week. The Crossing Camp also followed CDC guidelines in relation to the "cleaning and disinfection of their facility," the Schuyler County Health Department said.

County and state health officials are advising anyone who visited the camp during the mid-June timeframe to get a PCR test, even if they are not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

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The West Coast Heat Has Killed Dozens And Hospitalized More In Canada And The U.S. - NPR

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A display at an Olympia Federal Savings branch shows a temperature of 107 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday in the early evening in Olympia, Wash. Ted S. Warren/AP

Ted S. Warren/AP

Scores of deaths along the U.S. West Coast and in the Vancouver metro area in Canada are being blamed on an ongoing heat wave that has broken records.

Authorities said at least six deaths in Washington and Oregon could be due to the heat wave that began in the region on Friday.

Temperatures in Portland topped at least 116 degrees on Monday after at least three days of record-high temperatures. The area is now cooling off, according to the National Weather Service, but the heat left its mark.

State health officials in Oregon said Tuesday there was a sharp increase in emergency department visits for heat-related illness during the stretch of high temperatures. Hundreds of Oregonians have visited ERs for heat-related illnesses since Friday.

In Seattle, temperatures reached at least 108 degrees at one point, and in Spokane, temperatures reached 109 degrees, the highest temperature ever recorded there.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office in Washington said two people died due to hyperthermia, a condition in which they body becomes dangerously overheated, according to The Seattle Times.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office on Tuesday reported three men between the ages of 51 and 77 died after experiencing heat stroke at home, according to the Daily Herald in Everett, Wash.

The CDC said that during 2004-2018 the U.S. had an average of 702 heat-related deaths per year (415 with heat as the underlying cause and 287 as a contributing cause).

According to the World Health Organization, heat waves are considered among the most dangerous of natural hazards but rarely receive adequate attention because their death tolls and destruction are not always immediately obvious. From 1998 to 2017, more than 166,000 people around the world died because of heat waves.

Scientists say the warming climate is making heat waves more frequent and intense. The health risks from them may also be greater early in the summer, when people are less accustomed to higher temperatures.

Canadian police respond to extreme heat spell

The Canadian province of British Columbia suffered a record high of roughly 115 degrees Fahrenheit during the past four days of "extreme heat," officials said Tuesday.

The U.S. National Weather Service noted that temperatures reached 121 degrees in Lytton, British Columbia.

At least 233 people died in the province between Friday and Monday — about 100 more than the average for a four-day period, authorities said.

This week it looks as though that grisly trend may continue. As of 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, officers had responded to 20 sudden death calls that day alone, Simi Heer, the director of public affairs for the Vancouver Police Department, tweeted.

The causes of these deaths are still under investigation, police said, but heat is believed to be a contributing factor in the majority of these cases. Most of the victims were seniors.

The Vancouver Police Department said heat-related deaths have "depleted front-line resources and severely delayed response times throughout the city." They are redeploying dozens of officers and are pleading for people to call 911 only during an emergency.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police urged people in the metro Vancouver area to check on loved ones and neighbors as the heat wave continues.

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Four more bodies found in Surfside condo rubble; at least 16 dead - CTV News

SURFSIDE, FLORIDA -- Four more bodies have been found in the rubble of a collapsed Florida condo tower, a fire official said Wednesday, raising the death toll in the disaster to 16 people.

Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah told family members at a morning briefing that rescuers found the bodies Tuesday night. He said relatives have not yet been identified.

In addition to the four bodies, crews also found other human remains. Rescuers were able to build a ramp for a crane to reach areas at the top of the pile they had not been access before, Jadallah said.

State Fire Marshal Jimmy Petronis described the ramp as "a Herculean effort" that would allow the use of more heavy equipment.

"Now you are able to leverage massive equipment to remove mass pieces of concrete that could lead to those incredible good news events," Petronis told Miami television station WSVN.

More than 140 people are still unaccounted for.

The discovery of the bodies came the morning after Florida authorities asked the federal government for an additional rescue team to comb the rubble of the tower, a request that underscored the strenuous nature of the open-ended search for survivors in an area prone to tropical weather.

The possibility that severe weather in coming days could further stretch Florida's search and rescue resources prompted state officials to ask the federal government for the additional team, Kevin Guthrie of the Florida Division of Emergency Management said Tuesday. Already, intermittent bad weather has caused temporary delays in the search.

Guthrie said the new team, which would likely come from Virginia, would be on hand if severe weather hits the area in coming days and allow crews that have been working at the site for days to rotate out. Authorities said it's still a search-and-rescue operation, but no one has been found alive since hours after the collapse on Thursday.

"There are two areas of (possible storm) development out in the Atlantic, heading to the Caribbean. We have eight urban rescue teams in Florida. We talked about doing a relief," Guthrie said at a news conference Tuesday night. "We have all the resources we need but we're going to bring in another team. We want to rotate those out so we can get more resources out."

The National Hurricane Center says two disorganized storm systems in the Atlantic have a chance of becoming tropical systems in the coming days, but it is unclear at this point whether they would pose a threat to the U.S.

Charles Cyrille of the Miami-Dade County Office of Emergency said 900 workers from 50 federal, state and local agencies were working seamlessly on the search.

Elected officials have pledged to conduct multiple investigations into the sudden collapse of the 12-storey Champlain Towers South in Surfside last week.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said that she and her staff will meet with engineering, construction and geology experts, among others, to review building safety issues and develop recommendations "to ensure a tragedy like this will never, ever happen again."

State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said she will pursue a grand jury investigation to examine factors and decisions that led to the collapse.

Gov. Ron DeSantis evoked a well-known military commitment to leave no one behind on the battlefield and pledged to do the same for the people still missing in the rubble.

"The way I look at it, as an old Navy guy, is when somebody is missing in action, in the military, you're missing until you're found. We don't stop the search," DeSantis said at a news conference Tuesday.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden planned to travel to Surfside on Thursday.

Work at the site has been deliberate and treacherous. The pancake collapse of the building left layer upon layer of intertwined debris, frustrating efforts to reach anyone who may have survived in a pocket of space.

Several members of an Israeli rescue team worked partly on hands and knees Tuesday over a small section of the rubble, digging with shovels, pickaxes and saws. They removed debris into buckets that were dumped into a metal construction bin, which was periodically lifted away by a crane. The crane then delivered an empty bin.

Late in the afternoon, rescue officials sounded a horn for a second time during the day's work, signaling an approaching storm with lightning. Workers temporarily evacuated.

Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Cominsky said the work has been extremely difficult, but "we're out here 110%."

"These are the times that are the most difficult," Cominsky said. "We are here to do a job. We are here with a passion. Hopefully, we have some success."

------

Gomez Licon reported from Miami. Associated Press writers Kelli Kennedy in Miami, Bobby Caina Calvan in Tallahassee, Florida, and Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, contributed to this report

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Western Canada's heat wave is 'unprecedented.' Scientists say it will become more common with climate change - CBC.ca

Smoky skies. Polluted air. Sweltering heat. 

During three of the past five summers, British Columbians have endured extreme weather events, rewriting a season long known for its mild, sunny forecasts. 

This week's historic heat wave, which unleashed punishing temperatures on the Pacific Northwest and is now moving eastward to Alberta, has brought the realities of climate change into even sharper relief.

Climate scientists are cautious about citing climate change as the cause of any specific weather event. But some say evidence suggests extreme events are intensifying and becoming more common because of global warming.

"I'm shocked by this," said Simon Donner, a professor of climatology at the University of British Columbia. 

"As a climate scientist, we expect to see more extreme heat waves going forward into the future because we're adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. But this is even beyond my expectations. To have a heat wave last this long and be this hot in Canada is completely unprecedented in history."

'It really feels like dangerous heat'

The village of Lytton in B.C.'s Interior shattered Canada's all-time weather record over three consecutive days, surpassing an eye-popping 49 C on Tuesday. B.C.s Fraser Valley recorded temperatures in the mid 40s. Vancouver, which usually benefits from cool ocean air, recorded an overnight low of 24 C on Monday night, the type of heat often felt in the tropics. 

"There's something that feels a bit different about this one and I can't quite put my finger on it," said Joseph Shea, a professor of environmental geomatics at the University of Northern British Columbia.

"I was trying to come up with a word on the weekend and I think the word is menacing. It really feels like dangerous heat."

WATCH | The 'heat dome' explained:

David Phillips, senior climatologist for Environment Canada, says the high-pressure heat dome over parts of Western Canada creates an effect that's like 'putting a lid on boiling water.' 3:52

The global temperature has increased by 1.2 C since industrialization, according to the World Meteorological Organization. A 2019 report commissioned by Environment and Climate Change Canada found Canada is warming twice as fast, with the highest rates occurring in the North, the Prairies and northern British Columbia. And temperatures in the Arctic are increasing three times the global rate. 

"That doesn't sound like very much, but it shifts the whole system. And so when you get big spikes, they get higher," said Deborah Hartford, executive director of Adaptation to Climate Change, a policy planning initiative at Simon Fraser University. 

CBC metereologist Johanna Wagstaffe said jet streams — which essentially move weather patterns — are stalling much longer due to the shrinking temperature difference between the Arctic and mid-latitudes. 

"You get great waves, like what's happening over B.C., that stick around for longer," she said. 

B.C. vulnerable to extreme weather

The heat wave has also underscored how British Columbians have yet to adapt to the changing climate conditions and are vulnerable to its impacts.

Roughly one-third of B.C. residents use air conditioning, according to a B.C. Hydro survey from last year, with the number jumping to 72 per cent in the southern Interior. 

The heat wave, which came with only days of warning, saw stores in B.C. sell out of air conditioners and fans. Hotels in Vancouver were fully booked Monday, drawing locals desperate for escape. Police in Metro Vancouver said Tuesday they had responded to more than 100 sudden deaths since the heat wave took hold. 

WATCH | Vancouver doctor explains what he's seeing during the heat wave:

Vancouver emergency room physician Dr. Daniel Kalla on the precautions, warning signs and potential remedies for heat-related illnesses as temperatures reach record highs, and how to cool down. 2:26

Record overnight temperatures made matters worse, with a low of 22 C in Victoria on Monday — close to the typical daytime high for that time of year. 

"We need those evenings to recover from the hot days that we experience," said Faron Anslow, a climatologist with the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium in Victoria. 

While the heat wave was unusual in its intensity, Wagstaffe anticipates B.C.'s baseline will shift in the coming years. 

"We'll see more days, over 30 degrees. We'll see way more days, over 20 degrees," she said.

"And we'll really start to notice a change in our seasons. We'll see the extreme weather events like fires and severe storms and flooding start earlier and last later." 

Mountaintops that never melt are thawing as a result of the heat wave, Wagstaffe said, raising questions about flood risk and the impact on water reserves through the summer and into the early fall. 

The wildfire risk also looms large. Forests are drying out and are rapidly turning into tinder for when a lightning storm strikes or a cigarette is tossed. 

"I think we've all learned in the past few years, the forest fire doesn't have to be anywhere near your home for you to be affected by it," Donner said.

What next?

While British Columbians have grown accustomed to wildfires, the severity of the heat wave has renewed awareness around the climate emergency. 

"I've covered a lot of weather events that have been connected to climate change," Wagstaffe said. 

"And I've got to be honest, I think this one is the one that really made me consider my future and my two-year-old old's future. We were literally trying to think of an emergency plan for the forecast that had heat that would be too dangerous for my family to be in our own home." 

Shea said the only way to stop climate change is to stop pumping emissions into the atmosphere. 

"It's simple to say that but very hard to do because of the systems we have in place," he said. "At this point, there's nothing else we can do except really make that push." 

The Paris climate agreement aims to keep the global temperature increases this century below 2 C — and ideally 1.5 C — to stave off the worst effects of climate change.

A construction worker uses a misting fan to cool down at a work site in Vancouver on Monday. Vancouver police say they have responded to more than 100 sudden deaths since the heat wave took hold. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Anslow said change on a personal level can mean reducing your emissions by curtailing vehicle use, reconsidering what you eat and cutting down on energy use at home. 

"These all will seem like pretty small drops in the bucket when you're doing them, but they do add up," he said. 

Donner said people need to push their politicians for stronger action, such as regulations around electric vehicles and energy-efficient homes and buildings. 

"This is not the new normal," Donner said. 

"There's going to continue being new normals until we stop emitting greenhouse gases because the baseline, or what we think of as normal, is constantly moving upwards now." 

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Western Canada's heat wave is 'unprecedented.' Scientists say it will become more common with climate change - CBC.ca
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Hair salons are reopening in Canada. Did COVID-19 closures do more good than damage? - Global News

Toronto resident Jennifer Lake is looking forward to her first hair appointment in almost 10 months, as hair salons and other personal care services reopen across Ontario on Wednesday.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year, Lake was a regular customer at the Fiorio Cumberland beauty parlour, getting her hair cut and coloured every two months.

Read more: Hairdressers ready to get back to work with Step 2 reopening plans in place

So, when the province announced the start of Step 2 of its COVID-19 reopening plan last week, Lake, like many other Ontarians, was quick to book a date with her hairdresser. Besides getting “a bit unruly” and longer than she would have liked, Lake says she has also noticed her hair becoming drier than usual from spending more time indoors amid lockdown measures.

“I think probably one of the reasons that it’s exciting to get back to is (because) it’s my big self-care,” the University of Toronto professor and PhD student told Global News.

Jennifer Lake is excited to get a fresh cut before her PhD defense in August. Photo supplied

The personal care service industry in Canada has been one of the hardest hit during the pandemic, enduring months-long closures.

And while customers may have been feeling the effects from a lack of professional help, some experts say there was a silver lining too: more people focusing on self-care at home.

Going a long time without a haircut often results in split ends, but the lack of hair processes and use of chemicals could actually make the hair healthier, said Dr. Julia Carroll, a Toronto-based dermatologist.

“It doesn’t look as nice because … you might have more greys or white hair, but sometimes the quality can be better because you give your hair a little bit of a break,” she told Global News.

Carroll said that the main benefit to getting any hair treatment such as cutting dead ends or adding highlights, was primarily aesthetic.

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How provinces are preparing

Dean Lianos, a salon owner in Toronto, is busy getting things ready for reopening on July 6. His salon is fully booked until mid-August and his clients are “interested in getting as much done as possible”, he says.

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Lianos, who has been in the salon business for the past 25 years, expects he and his staff will have their hands full once they are up and running again. Under Step 2, personal care services, where face coverings can be worn at all times, are allowed to operate at 25 per cent capacity — with other restrictions.

“It’s going to take a little bit of time to get used to the pace that we were used to before,” Lianos told Global News.

“People have way-overgrown hair, and it’s quite a big job just … starting with getting rid of all that hair,” he added.

Read more: ‘Breaking a barrier’: Manitobans can finally get their hair cut again

In Manitoba, personal services businesses such as hair and nail salons, estheticians and barbers are permitted to reopen at 50 per cent capacity on an appointment basis only.

Winnipegger Nelson Reis, who hadn’t had a haircut since February this year, got six inches chopped off by his regular hairdresser on Tuesday evening.

As an IT professional, he said working from home has changed his habits over the past year.

“I’m not washing my hair every day, so that’s a difference,” the 50-year-old said.

Nelson Reis pictured here before his hair appointment. Photo supplied

COVID-19 hair loss

Meanwhile, recovered coronavirus patients have also reported experiencing hair loss.

Carroll said this was the case with quite a few of her patients who were COVID-19 long-haulers — people who experience symptoms for many weeks or even months after getting the disease.

Read more: Some COVID-19 patients report hair loss months later

This can happen as a result of a stress response. When the body is busy looking after vital organs, it will take resources that would normally go towards growing hair and divert to help repair other systems in the body that were damaged, she explained.

But most of the patients in that boat have since recovered from it, Carroll added.

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Amid the soaring demand for personal care services and a rush to book appointments, Carroll recommended spacing out the treatments to allow your body time to get used to them, especially after a long hiatus.

“If you haven’t been doing a lot of these things for a long period of time, like facials, manicures, pedicures, hair services, then I wouldn’t necessarily want to stack them all up at one time because it might be too hard on your skin or too hard on your nails,” she said.

For Lake, who describes herself as low maintenance, a new haircut on July 9 will mean slowly getting back to her pre-pandemic self.

“It’s nicer to look at yourself when you like your hair,” she said, laughing.

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© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Hair salons are reopening in Canada. Did COVID-19 closures do more good than damage? - Global News
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BC Is Poised to Ease More Pandemic Restrictions - Toronto Star

Falling case counts and high vaccine uptake are setting up British Columbia to enter the third stage of its pandemic reopening on Thursday, public health officials said Monday.

New modelling presented on Monday shows 76.8 per cent of eligible people over 12 have received their first dose of vaccine, and 25 per cent have had their second.

And a study examining blood samples for evidence of COVID-19 antibodies found at least 50 per cent of British Columbians have immune systems prepared to fight the virus.

“Immunization is preventing about seven out of 10 infections across the province,” Henry said. “It tells us these vaccines are working in every age group.”

B.C. also reported 145 new cases and five new deaths over the last three days, a 37-per-cent decrease from last weekend’s totals.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry attributed the decline to widespread vaccination in most of the province, and said it poised B.C. to move to the next stage of reopening later this week.

And even as contacts and activities increase, that protection means that it is “unlikely we will see widespread cases and clusters” of COVID-19 in the future, Henry said.

About 80 per cent of new cases in B.C. are more transmissible variants of concern, including about 12 per cent identified as the delta variant.

When asked whether the slowly increasing proportion of delta variants could derail the reopening, Henry said vaccinations protect against all strains of the virus.

“Despite the fact these more transmissible strains are causing infections... case numbers have come down regardless of what strain people are infected with,” said Henry.

Until the pandemic ends globally, new variants will emerge. What matters is that public health continues to monitor and respond to the introduction of new variants to B.C.

“Even with the newer strains that are more transmissible, we’re not getting these widespread explosive outbreaks,” she said.

Moving to Step 3 would see the indoor mask mandate lifted, recreational travel across Canada permitted and a return to normal for indoor and outdoor social gatherings.

It would also see businesses move away from specific COVID-19 operating plans, indoor and outdoor events resume without attendee limits and no group limits on dining or indoor fitness classes.

Henry urged travellers to only come to B.C. if they are vaccinated, and for all British Columbians to continue to take precautions like staying home when sick and getting their second doses as soon as possible.

While general vaccine uptake across B.C. is high and beginning to slow for first doses, communities in Interior and Northern Health continue to report the lowest vaccination rates, some even under 50 per cent of adults.

In response to a Tyee question, Henry said the province is working to deliver low-barrier vaccines in communities where long travel times or lack of primary health care make it difficult to get a shot.

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She urged British Columbians to get their shots as soon as possible and encourage their friends and family to do the same.

“We need to continue to get our vaccines to make sure we’re best protected both for ourselves, for our families and for our communities.”

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BC Is Poised to Ease More Pandemic Restrictions - Toronto Star
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