’REALLY GETS TO YOU’: People try to beat heat in GTA, rest of southern Ontario

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A heat warning in the GTA and other parts of southern Ontario had workers and residents looking for ways to keep cool on Thursday, as temperatures were expected to reach up to 35 C.

“It’s, like, very hot and humid, and just dead air. It really gets to you,” said Chris Brown, a construction worker in Toronto.

Brown said he had been working outside at a downtown site since 7 a.m. and noticed the heat escalating with every hour.

“We’re kind of used to working in the heat and for our particular job, we need to wear long sleeves, so that kind of sucks but you get used to it,” Brown said.

“Just take lots of breaks and water.”

Environment Canada warned that with the humidity, it could feel like up to 44 C across a stretch of the province bordering Lake Ontario from St. Catharines to Toronto.

The weather agency says nighttime low temperatures of 20 to 23 C would provide relief from the daytime heat.

Temperatures are expected to decrease on Friday to near 30 C, though there could still be a humidex value of up to 40 C.

It’s not the first heat warning for Ontario this summer — extreme heat reaching the mid-30s broke temperature records in many parts of the province last month.

“It has been a bit of a scorcher of a summer so I feel like spring held on for the longest time and summer kind of came on strong,” said Liam Abanid.

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Abanid said he had been walking in Toronto’s St. James Park with friends, but after about 20 minutes he was feeling the heat and planning to head inside.

During extreme heat events, people are advised to drink water often, watch for signs of heat exhaustion and to check on older adults and those at risk of heat illness.

For a Massachusetts couple who arrived in Toronto just hours before the peak afternoon heat, the extra sunshine was all the more reason to hit the beach and find something icy to sip on.

“We’re on vacation, so we’re going to drink maybe things that have alcohol in them,” Tracie Lussier said with a laugh.

“We’ll find ourselves inside with a nice cold beer or a drink,” her husband Brian said.

And “lots of water,” he added.

— With files from Maan Alhmidi.