An orange heat warning continues to be in effect for Windsor-Essex with possibilities of the temperature reaching record level seen in the 1800s.

“It’s continuing to be very, very hot, humid and that’s why we have the orange heat warning in effect primarily because of the duration,” Peter Kimbell, warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada, said Thursday.

“Today we’re looking for a high of 36, which is pretty close to the record high of 36.1 today in 1872… we’re very close to setting a record for today.”

Kimbell said temperatures rose to 36 C Canada Day when the past record for that day was 36.7 in 1898. He said Friday could see daytime highs of 35 C when the record of 37.8 C was set in 1898.

He said the region is used to temperatures around 30 C but temperatures above 35 C are not so common with record high temperatures usually lingering north of 37 C.

The extreme heat this week has also meant people rushing to get their fans and air conditioners. 

“It’s been very hot,” Debbie Hebert, manager at Seminole Home Hardware, said

“We’ve sold a lot of fans, a lot of air conditioners to try to keep everybody cool… It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen heat at these levels.”

She said portable ACs have been top of that list as many residential units in the city are not centrally air conditioned or have AC in one room. Next in that list, she said, are the pedestal fans.

Hebert said people have been coming in consistently looking for ways to beat the heat. In that list of shopping items, she said there are also sprinklers and hoses to keep garden grass cool.

“People have pools open, so with the heat, the chlorine burns off. So, we’ve been selling a lot of chlorine.”

She said they are out of a few items but to meet the demand, another truck worth of inventory is coming on Friday. 

Dan Wilson and Liz Foley say in their 15 years of staying in West Windsor, this is the first severe heat wave they have witnessed.

“We’ve been pretty warm but not to this amount,” he said.

The couple were enjoying their drinks in the front yard Thursday afternoon while their granddaughter splashed in an inflated pool. They said the heat is too extreme for their AC to handle.

“With this heat, AC doesn’t keep up,” he said. “It’s crazy…  imagine what people do without air conditioning? I don’t know. ”

The couple prefer to sit in the shade in the front yard trying to enjoy the breeze and Foley said she likes to accompany her grandkid in the pool for some respite from heat.

“Try to stay as cool as possible. And if that doesn’t work, put some water on your head,” Foley said.

Kimbell said the “hot muggy weather” should last into the weekend with a risk of thunderstorms Thursday afternoon into the weekend. He suggests residents take care of vulnerable populations, including elderly people, children and people experiencing homelessness.

WATCH | Windsor’s unhoused struggle to find relief in prolonged heat wave:

Homeless people in Windsor struggling to beat the heat

With Windsor-Essex under an orange level heat warning, one man is handing out freezies to help friends stay cool.