Heat warnings are forecast to extend into Thursday across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, with temperatures expected to hover around 30 C and feel even hotter when humidity is factored in.
On Wednesday in Fredericton, with temperatures hitting 31 C and a humidex of 38, Elle Bahraq sat under a tree by the Saint John River and enjoyed a picnic with a friend.
"Well, I'm a winter girl, so I don't really like the summer. Period," she said.
Her friend, Senthil Kumar, said he doesn't much like temperatures in the 30s, but winter can be depressing. "Maybe it's more scenic," he said, looking around. "You know, the trees outside."
Downtown, street musician Nick Perrin played the saxophone, and playfully mocked those who couldn't take the heat.
"Thirty degrees," he said, "I mean, that's not even hot in a lot of places in the world."
The best thing about summer is that it brings people outside, he added.
"In the winter, sometimes you don't see even your neighbours for weeks because they come home from work, they go right into their house," he said. "They don't leave, sometimes, for the whole weekend."
The national weather agency said Charlottetown reached 28 C on Wednesday with a humidex of 36, and the service maintained its heat warning for all of P.E.I. for Thursday, with highs expected to hit up to 30 C with a humidex value of 37.
Meanwhile, Annapolis Royal, N.S., reached a high of 30 C and a humidex value of 37. Environment Canada said hot and humid weather would stretch into Thursday with maximum temperatures of 29 C for the Annapolis Valley, northern Nova Scotia, and Cape Breton.
The weather agency asked residents in affected areas to try and keep cool, stay hydrated and watch out for early signs of heat stroke, which include headache, nausea, dizziness, thirst and intense fatigue.
Back in downtown Fredericton on Wednedsay, Barbara Johnston sat next to pink-and-red rose bushes, and said she remembers the city always had hot summers. As a little girl she used to go swimming, she said, but now she cools off by running cold water on her hair.
"Cold water feels good," she said. "I try to stay in as much as I can … out of the heat. But it's good to feel heat too. (It's a change) from the rain all the time."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2025.
The Canadian Press
