Thus a Styrian called «kleinezeitung.at . cooled down

Clemens Wilhelm of Graz has been living in Vancouver since 2009. In an interview he tells how he survived the heat wave in Canada.

of Maria Schonitzer | 05.35 am, July 2, 2021

Klemens Wilhelm kühlte sich an einem Gletschersee ab / Bild: KK — Clemens Wilhelm chilled on a glacial lake © KK

He lives in Vancouver with his family. There has also been an extremely high temperature for the last few days. How did you experience it?

Clemens Wilhelm: We had a felt temperature of 41 degrees and 47 degrees at the peak in Vancouver. I’ve never seen anything like this. I was energetic and having trouble sleeping. It was very difficult for everyone. Because we have two problems here: First, it’s too hot. Second, we are not ready for it. Air conditioning is only found in hotels and offices – not in homes.

how did you calm down?
We have a ceiling fan, nothing more. I tried to buy an air conditioner at the last minute. In the store I almost laughed because everything was sold out a long time ago. During the day we fled the city and went to a glacial lake and at night I applied frozen vegetables on my forehead and stomach. This really helped. And bathing in cold water – that was the best tool.

And what is the situation now?
The good thing is that the worst is behind us. But only when it comes to heat wave. But now the forest is on fire.

How are fires affecting life in Vancouver?
We are not directly affected by wildfires, but in the summer – and this is made worse by climate change – we live in a cloud of smoke for a week or two. As the smoke of the fire is spreading in the city. I have lived here for twelve years and it has grown tremendously. In such a situation, exercise and staying outside should be avoided.

Wanted to cool off: A heat wave in western Canada causes thermometers to rise to record lows.

The temperature in Lytton (British Columbia) was measured at 47.9 degrees on Monday.

In many other places in North America, including the state of Oregon in the western United States, record local temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. Many places provide refrigerated halls for residents suffering from heat.

In the coming days, there is a possibility of heat and continuous drought in large parts of the country and the risk of forest fire is increasing in many places.

Currently recorded temperatures in western Canada are sometimes even higher than in locations farther south, such as the US desert city of Las Vegas.

CA News Ottawa

Thus a Styrian called «kleinezeitung.at . cooled down

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