Noteworthy: You want it hot, hot, hot? Now it’s really hot, hot, hot

By Bruce Penton on July 10, 2024.

Okay Hatters, we’ve been complaining about the lousy spring and early summer weather we’ve experienced – cooler than normal temperatures, disruptive rains – and longing for the good ol’ days of sweltering summer days. Well, they’re here and if the Weather Network’s forecast is correct, today is going to be the hottest of the hot – 36 degrees Celsius. (For the oldtimers out there, who still prefer to think in Fahrenheit, 36C translates to 97 degrees. Yeah, that’s warm).

Be careful out there. There are four stages of heat-related illness:

â€¢ Heat rash, which comes with a stinging skin irritation.

â€¢ Heat cramps, marked by thirst and cramps or spasms in the muscles.

â€¢ Heat exhaustion, indicated by the need to sit.

â€¢ The most severe – heat stroke, when the body temperature climbs above 106F (41.1C), accompanied by confusion and dry skin – no sweating. Call 911 if you or someone nearby is experiencing those latter symptoms.

Assuming most people will take proper care during this week’s extreme heat, here are a few suggestions for how to approach life in a 36-degree world.

If you play golf, plan for a 7 a.m. tee time and be finished before the extreme heat of the day arrives near noon.

If you’re an outside worker, have plenty of cool water at the ready because your body will demand dehydration on a regular basis.

If you’re a kid, or a kid at heart, find a pool.

Don’t forget your sunscreen, because 36-degree heat can be dangerous.

If you’re a politician, you’re used to hot air, so it’s no big deal.

If you run an air conditioning company, get ready for an onslaught of phone calls. You’ll be run ragged.

Dog owners and parents don’t have to be reminded to not leave their pups or babies in a hot car. Temperatures can reach dangerously high, even fatal levels, in a short period.

It’s a great time to go grocery shopping. All Medicine Hat grocery stories have wonderful air conditioning systems and it’s enjoyable to stroll around the aisles while basking in the cool air. Stepping outside, however, feels like you’re walking into a furnace.

And an ice cream cone is always a great option.

â€¢ The Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede’s stated vision is “A tradition since 1887â€¦ A legacy for the future.” It certainly lives up to that vision annually, and the fun starts two weeks from today and runs from July 24-27. There’s so much more than just the midway and night shows. The city puts on its cowboy boots and western hats earlier than opening day, though, with pancake breakfasts all over the city, storefront decorations brightening up the downtown area, a great parade, and citizens donning blue jeans and cowboy shirts for the duration. You’ll even hear the occasional “Yahoo!” belted out and they won’t be referring to the internet website

Should be another great Stampede week in the Hat.

â€¢ Since Pierre Poilievre and his Conservative Party government will likely be running the country by this time next year, Canadians can look forward to a summer tax break. Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner MP Glen Motz’s May newsletter said a summer tax pause would save each family about $995. The CPC would also eliminate the carbon tax completely, cutting our tax bill even more.

â€¢ One of the most encouraging reports from last week was that the South Saskatchewan River had nearly doubled its flow over a four-day period and that the river level was near normal for the first time since May. Nothing would devastate the ecological life as we know it in southern Alberta than lack of water. As recently as two months ago, talk of water restrictions were already starting to gain traction, and visions of trickling, muddy creeks and brown hillsides, not to mention fewer beautiful lawns and gardens in Medicine Hat, were real. Now, we can hope for a snowy winter and eliminate that spring talk of drought next year.

â€¢ Short snappers: Justin Trudeau’s gotta go, sometime before the next federal election is called, because I’ve got $20 riding on his departure. Am I going to cash in? â€¦. Did you know that Saskatchewan has the highest rate of incarceration in Canada, 215 people per 100,000 population? The national average is 127. â€¦ A definite sign of summer in Medicine Hat: DETOUR. â€¦ A basketball player by the name of Jayson Tatum recently signed the most lucrative contract in NBA history and somebody with a calculator figured out that he would be earning $265.92 per second of game time. His contract pays $314 million over five years and no, his Boston Celtic bosses do not live in an insane asylum.