Though welcome and much needed, Monday’s slight rainfall was only temporary relief.
At the end of the day, the drizzle wasn’t much help — the Forest City is still parched. With temperatures forecast in the low-to-mid 30s and no likelihood of rain for the following week, there’s no end in sight for Londoners seeking refuge from the heat.
A cold front coming in early Tuesday will take away some of the humidity, but temperatures are still expected to climb, said Marie-Eve Giguere of Environment Canada.
Temperatures could soar as high as 35 degrees by mid-week and that’s without the humidity, expected to make it feel like the low 40s in the city.
While the Middlesex London Health Unit hasn’t issued a heat alert just yet, the city has asked Londoners to water trees on private property, reminding them that without adequate hydration, they could become damaged.
Homeowners still have to stick to the bylaw that allows them to water their lawns every other day — houses ending in odd numbers on odd calendar days and those ending in even numbers on even days — no matter how yellow their front yard may look.
To prevent fires on the grasses, the London Fire Department issued a ban on all open fires last weekend, meaning no campfires, no open fire-pits — no fires whatsoever — until further notice.
The risk of fire is increasing due to the dry weather conditions across Southwestern Ontario and Sarnia’s fire department issued the same ban Monday.
“The concern is you may have small sparks and embers that go up in the air, get carried by the breeze, and travel into another yard. With extremely dry conditions, it could start a fire,” said deputy fire chief Brian George.
The fire department received nine fire complaints within the first 24 hours of the ban and responded by making house calls, asking Londoners to snuff out the flames.
For those willing to settle for even the slightest relief from the heat, another cold front could pass over London Thursday, bringing a 30% chance of thunderstorms. But according to Environment Canada, weekend temperatures are still expected to hover around the low 30s, and with the humidity, feel close to 40 degrees.
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via The London Free Press.
