From 8 a.m. ice cream, to breaks in the shade: Windsor-Essex residents beat the heat

The heatwave continuing to batter Ontario has Windsorites reaching for cool treats, extra water, and shade. CTV's Robert Lothian reports.

On a day of relentless heat, residents in Windsor-Essex found their own unique ways to survive Mother Nature’s wrath.

According to Environment Canada, the humidex reached 45 around 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

At the same time, Nathaniel Dickens and Mark Macaya were the lone players on the Forest Glade Optimist pickleball courts.

“It’s not horrible. It’s like it’s pretty hot, but if you have water, you’re good,” said Dickens.

Dickens and Macaya, ages 17 and 16, respectively, are still in the early stages of their summer break.

Though the unusually hot temperatures have been a theme in recent weeks, the teens don’t plan to let it ruin their time out of the classroom.

“I take water breaks once in a while. As you can see here, we went near the shade, so whenever we need to rest, we just have the shade nearby,” said Macaya.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is advising residents enduring the heat to take proactive measures, including wearing a wide-brimmed hat, using sunscreen and drinking plenty of water.

Many people have taken a sweeter route to find some relief from the heat.

At Frost Ice Cream Co on Ottawa Street, owner Maxine Stephen said business has been busier since the heat wave began.

“We’ve had people coming in at 8 a.m. to get ice cream, which is crazy. I understand it, but it is pretty crazy to see,” Stephen told CTV News.

A staple of summer, Stephen said, ice cream has a way of creating happiness in people even on the hottest of days.

“When it’s hot and unbearable like this, I think the ice cream kind of helps offset that,” she noted.

Environment Canada has maintained a yellow heat warning for the region, which includes maximum temperatures of 30 to 38 degrees Celsius and humidex values of 38 to 45.

The warning is expected to continue into Wednesday evening and possibly Thursday or Friday for areas near Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, the weather agency added.