By Geoff Smith (@GeoffSmithLNN on Twitter)

Heat arrives, but not quite warning-level for Lethbridge

Jul 6, 2018 | 11:05 AM

LETHBRIDGE – The heat that has been affecting eastern Canada has reached southern Alberta. But the immediate Lethbridge region hasn’t quite reached the criteria for a heat warning.

As of Friday, July 6, areas to the north and east of the city, such as Vulcan, Carmangay, Bow Island, and Foremost were under a warning. Despite Friday’s forecast high of 32 C for Lethbridge, Environment Canada meteorologist Dan Kulak explained the heat has to be for a longer period of time.

“For Lethbridge, we require heat warnings to be at least 32 degrees for two days in a row, with the day, the morning low in between being 16,” he said. “We’re not quite getting that, but nevertheless it is a warm weather pattern for the next week or so.”

Kulak said an upper ridge is pushing the clouds to the north, with warm air moving in from the United States, and it’s not unusual for this time of year.

It’s also a dry heat, unlike in eastern Canada where the “humidex” reading has reached the 40s. Kulak said humidity is not factored into heat warnings, which are issued in partnership with health authorities in each part of Canada.

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“What humidex is is sort of the summer equivalent of windchill. What does it kind of feel like in the summertime with the warm temperatures and the humidity in the air, how does that compare with sort of a drier day and a warmer temperature?” he said. The number isn’t the result of a measurement, but a formula that factors in temperature and water vapour.

As of 10 a.m. Friday, for example, the temperature in Lethbridge was 24 C, with a relative humidity of 58 per cent and a humidex of 28. While the high temperature forecast was 32, the expected humidex was only 33.

The forecast for the next seven days was for highs in the 20s for the weekend, returning to the low 30s or high 20s for the entire week to follow.