Thursday marked the fourth day of Ottawa’s heat warning as temperatures continued to soar into the low 30s, accompanied by an almost choking high humidity.
Health sciences professor Glen Kenny of the University of Ottawa cautioned citizens against thinking cloudy weather means they’re safer from heat illnesses.
“Even when it’s cloudy and cooler, if the air is very humid, then you’re still at risk of developing heat-related injuries,” Kenny explained on Thursday. “The humidity especially before and during the rain could be a 100 per cent so the evaporation of sweat is non-existent.”
“The sun is an added heat load, so when you’re under a tree you don’t feel that. So the only thing you’re eliminating when going from a sunny area to shade is that extra heat, but not the heat and humidity in the air. Always keep in mind that humidity does not depend on the amount of clouds,” he added.
Kenny said that depending on the thickness of the cloud layer, people could still get some exposure to the sun rays which also means they can get a tan or sunburn even when it’s cloudy. Kenny advises to use sunscreen and wear sunglasses even on cloudy, hot summer days.
