Hot, hot and even hotter
If you spent most of Canada Day inside, we wouldn’t blame you. This long weekend’s heat wave was one of the most extreme in years, according to Environment Canada — and it’s not letting up anytime soon.
The heat wave moved between highs of 31C on Friday, 35 C on Saturday, 34 C on Sunday, and 32 C on Monday. Hopefully you slathered some sunscreen before going out of the house — temperatures felt closer to mid-40s if you factor in the humidity.
The long weekend broke records in the city. According to Environment Canada, the last time temperatures on June 30 reached 35 C was more than 50 years ago, back in 1964 — it officially reached 35.4 C on Saturday. Sunday was also one of the hottest Canada Days on record, if temperatures throughout the day are averaged.
Torontonians were able to get some relief during the evenings, with overnight temperatures dipping down to a low of mid-20s throughout the weekend.
Monday’s weather felt closer to 41 C with the humidity; there was some rain in the afternoon, but it quickly went away. The heat wave is the “most significant heat event” the city has experienced in the past few years, Environment Canada said in a statement.
“Before we got to the first day of July, we had already as many days above 30 C this year than last year, and we still have July, August, and early September to go,” Environment Canada climatologist David Phillips said.
“We’re still two or three weeks away from the ‘dog days’ of summer, which is typically the warmest moment of the summer,” he said. However, Phillips said this heat wave may be the hottest period this season.
The heat wave is expected to persist through the rest of this week, with temperatures staying above 30 C, before letting up on Friday, with the passage of a cold front through southern Ontario.