Warm skies and safety reminders for Londoners ahead of the Labor Day long weekend – London
After zero days above 30°C last month in Forest City, it looks like London, Ontario will start September with sunshine over the Labor Day long weekend.
PKBNEWS chief meteorologist Anthony Farnell said hot, humid weather was also ahead.
“Over the weekend, highs of 27C on Saturday (and) Sunday will be our first 30C day, but it’s still going,” he said. “This month of September will probably be our hottest period of the whole summer with a humidity close to 40°C.”
He said that despite a slight chance of showers on Saturday, “that’s about it”.
“I bring this up because that’s pretty much it for next week – we don’t expect any significant rain or clouds or anything,” Farnell added.
As residents prepare to plan for a long weekend, Middles*x OPP Const. Jeff Hare also reminds everyone to be safe on the roads this Labor Day.
“Let’s go enjoy this weekend,” he said. “Let’s be smart. Let’s all be respectful and all get where we’re going safely.
According to recent statistics provided by the OPP, there have been 239 fatalities from collisions this year. Nearly 50 percent of road deaths this year have been attributed to drivers who drove too fast, were inattentive, were impaired or did not wear their seatbelts.
“We’ve had enough fatal collisions around Middles*x County lately, and we don’t need them anymore,” Hare said, adding that officers will be keeping tabs on the “big four” this weekend.
“These are speeding, impaired driving, distracted driving and wearing seat belts,” he explained. “So far this summer, we’ve dealt with a lot of traffic complaints, a lot of impaired calls, a ton of collisions, and it’s all preventable.
“It seems like a disrespect to other drivers, to the rules of the road, (and) we’re seeing higher speeds than we’ve ever seen,” he continued. “It’s just about people making better decisions.”
Hare added that a number of race-related complaints around the Grand Bend area have also increased over the summer.
“Running through these small communities is not acceptable and it is not respectable for the people who live there,” he said. “There’s a lot of distractions this weekend with the kids going back to school next week, we’ve got school buses moving (and) planning their routes, we’ve got people riding bikes, so it so much is going on and we really need to be present when driving the county highways.
For those looking to hit the beach to cool off on Labor Day, Const. Brett Phair also shared some water safety tips.
“For anyone taking to the water, whether it’s this weekend or any other time, we just have to be aware that whatever conditions you’re facing at that time and even under ideal conditions, you have to take as many precautions as possible,” he said.
On Friday afternoon, Phair said search efforts were underway to find a Londoner who went missing after swimming in Lake Erie earlier this week.
“Being familiar with the water is important and life jackets are there for a reason and always remember to use them, regardless of your sk**l, ability or what body of water you are on,” said he added.
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