After a summer like this, are Calgarians ready for fall?
CBC
Summer – did it have you a blast, or was it a cruel, cruel summer?
The warmer months are often something that many long for in the dead of winter and dread leaving behind. Lately, some Calgarians have been switching up which month they love most. Trading in their shorts and tees for more cozy outfits or even looking forward to the crisper air.
Why?
It could be because summers have changed from the ideal many remember.
Alberta saw a relentless stretch of heat waves in July, and some communities were evacuated from the threat of wildfires, which blanketed some of August in smoke.
Data between 1981 and 2010 show the climatological average of 12 smoke hours for the summer. But since then, summers have seen more smoke, with many reaching well over 100 hours.
These extreme events come with serious health warnings for vulnerable populations like older adults, kids, babies, and people with heart conditions and asthma.
But there's more, especially when it comes to heat.
Maybe you were more irritable – or you felt disconnected from your loved ones because it was too hot to cuddle up on the couch after a long day. Or couldn't get your steps in, skipped a run.
Dr. Tess Wiskel is an emergency room physician and Climate and Human Health fellow at Harvard. She said when people think of heat waves they think: of heat exhaustion, muscle cramps, heat stroke or worse.
"But we also know that he can impact the body in a lot of ways," she said.
"We know that increased temperatures and heat waves will cause us to have decreased concentration and memory impairments and decreased cognitive function."
Some studies have found that children's test scores dive in heat waves. Wiskel said there are also increases in aggressive behaviour and violent crime.
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