Amid a heat warning, the City of Victoria has opened a trio of public cooling centres across the municipality to help locals combat the hot and sunny weather.
The city says it’s operating air-conditioned cooling centres beginning Wednesday at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, Salvation Army ARC and Cook Street Village Activity Centre.
The centres come as daytime highs in Greater Victoria are forecast to reach 31 degrees Celsius over the next few days, with expected overnight lows of 15 degrees.
READ ALSO: Records fall as Vancouver Island swelters under late-July heat wave
From Wednesday to Friday, the Save-On-Foods cooling centre on Blanshard Street is open from noon to 9 p.m., with the Salvation Army cooling centre on Johnson Street open from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Cook Street Village cooling centre on Cook Street, open from noon to 9 p.m., will operate one day longer until Saturday.
According to the city, COVID-19 protocols will be in place at cooling centres and face masks will remain optional, with masks, hand sanitizer, water and light snacks available upon check-in.
“Well-behaved dogs are allowed at the Cook Street Activity Centre cooling centre and water, shade and misters for pets will be set up outside the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre cooling centre,” states a news release.
To beat the heat, 12 temporary misting stations are also scattered around Victoria, along with more than 40 public drinking fountains. Misting station locations can be found online here, with fountain locations found here.
Victoria misting station locations. (City of Victoria)
The city is also sharing tips to stay cool and reduce the impacts of heat, including closing windows and blinds during the day, avoiding the use of large appliances, drinking lots of water and wearing sunscreen when outside.
READ ALSO: South Island municipalities offer tips, resources for keeping cool in hot weather
Residents are encouraged to go to someone’s house to sleep if their own home is too hot and to walk pets in the shade to avoid hot pavement, among other tips.
“Please take time to check in with family, friends and neighbours who are vulnerable, especially in the evening when it is hotter indoors than outdoors,” the city added.
The hot weather is expected to persist until Friday, with a “slow cooling trend” to come over the weekend and into next week, according to Environment Canada meteorologist Armel Castellan.
“I would say yesterday, today, tomorrow are three of the warmest days,” Castellan told CHEK News.
And while the weekend will cool off slightly, he says it will still be much warmer than seasonal averages.
-With files from CHEK’s Jeff Lawrence.
The Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre cooling centre is now open. (CHEK News)
Ethan Morneau
