Heat warning for southern Ontario expected to end Sunday: Environment Canada

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Environment and Climate Change Canada says the scorching heat wave that sent temperatures soaring into the mid-30s across much of southern Ontario and Quebec this weekend is expected to end late Sunday.

Meteorologist Kristina Kretchman said a cold front is expected to make its way through the regions, bringing with it a chance of rain, potential thunderstorms and relief from the heat warning that’s been in place from Windsor to Peterborough since Friday.

The humidex at Pearson International Airport reached a high of 40 C by noon, and stayed in the high 30s during the day.

Despite Saturday’s sweltering heat, no heat records were broken, said Kretchman. She added that the records are much higher than the temperatures seen this weekend.

The Toronto Blue Jays announced it would close the roof at the Rogers Centre for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels due to the heat.

Several public swimming pools and cooling centres were open for extended hours that stretched into the late evening over the weekend. In other parts of the GTA, residents sought out shade in public parks to beat the heat.

Cheryl Clifford met up with a friend in Aurora to eat lunch in Town Park.

“I’m glad for the breeze, that’s for sure,” said Clifford, who just got back from a trip to Greenland, where temperatures hovered around 10 C.

Much of southern Quebec also spent Sunday under both a heat warning and a severe thunderstorm watch. That included Greater Montreal, where humidex values were expected to soar near 40 C.

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Environment Canada urged people to stay put in cool areas, and watch for signs of heat exhaustion, such as headache, nausea and dizziness.

The weather office also said conditions were favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms, predicting wind gusts of up to 100 km/h, along with heavy rain and hail.

It’s not the first heat warning for Ontario this summer.

Just two weeks ago, extreme heat reaching the mid-30s broke records in many parts of the province. Toronto Public Health recorded 42 heat-related visits to emergency departments during that heat wave.