Environment and Climate Change Canada says the intense heat wave that pushed temperatures into the mid-30s across southern Ontario and Quebec this weekend is expected to end Sunday night.
Meteorologist Kristina Kretchman said a cold front is moving into the region, which could bring rain, possible thunderstorms, and some relief from the heat warning that has been in place from Windsor to Peterborough since Friday.
At Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, the humidex reached 40°C by noon on Sunday and stayed in the high 30s for most of the day.
Even though it felt extremely hot on Saturday, no official heat records were broken, Kretchman said. The record highs for this time of year are still higher than what we saw this weekend.
Because of the heat, the Toronto Blue Jays kept the roof closed at the Rogers Centre for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels.
To help people stay cool, many public swimming pools and cooling centres stayed open late. In parts of the Greater Toronto Area, people headed to parks and shady spots to cool off.
Cheryl Clifford, who had lunch with a friend in Aurora’s Town Park, said she was thankful for the breeze. She had just returned from a trip to Greenland, where it was only about 10°C.
In southern Quebec, including Greater Montreal, people also faced both a heat warning and a severe thunderstorm watch on Sunday. The humidex there was also expected to hit 40°C.
Environment Canada warned people to stay in cool places and watch for signs of heat exhaustion, such as headaches, nausea, or feeling dizzy.
They also said severe storms could develop, with wind gusts up to 100 km/h, heavy rain, and even hail.
This wasn’t the first heat warning this summer in Ontario. Just two weeks ago, another heat wave pushed temperatures into the mid-30s and broke records in parts of the province. During that event, Toronto Public Health reported 42 heat-related visits to emergency rooms.
