CTVNews.ca Staff
Published Saturday, Jul. 7, 2012 9:46AM EDT
Last Updated Saturday, Jul. 7, 2012 1:09PM EDT
Slight reprieve from the heat, emphasis on slight, is anticipated for heat-stricken residents of Eastern Canada who have experienced several days of sweltering temperatures.
Environment Canada predicts the mercury in Toronto will hit a high of 29 C on Saturday, a small mercy after three consecutive days of extreme heat alerts.
Weather warnings and humidex advisories were issued across the province and into Quebec late last week as an oppressive mass of hot air gripped the region. The travelling air mass has sent temperatures across North America soaring, obliterating approximately 3,000 heat records.
“Clearly, we’ve had almost too much summer here in eastern Canada and we’re really only into the beginning days of it,” Dave Phillips, Environment Canada’s senior climatologist, said Friday as scorching temperatures stretched across eastern parts of the country.
Humidex values in Montreal were expected to stretch into the 40s, while a high of 34.5 C hit Ottawa. Slight relief is anticipated in both cities on Saturday, with a high of 29 C and rainfall predicted.
Phillips said temperatures will ease in Toronto and Eastern Canada over the weekend, reaching back into the mid-30s by next Wednesday.
Just a day ago, Toronto broke a July 6 record when the temperature soared to 35 C at Pearson International Airport at 3 p.m. Previously, the record was 34.7 C in 1988.
Blistering hot weather is expected to persist in Windsor, Ont., where Saturday’s forecast high of 35 C is only one degree cooler than the previous day. Like several other urban centres in Central Canada, forecasters say there is a chance of thunderstorms.
Severe thunderstorm warnings have been issued in Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula area, where a band of heavy thunderstorms are expected to shower the region with about 50 millimetres of rain. Environment Canada, however, predicts the storms will taper off by mid-morning.
Further south, a heat wave gripping much of the United States continues to bear down on the country. Forecasters in northeastern cities including Philadelphia and New York anticipate temperatures of 37 C or higher this weekend.
Around the same time, a hot air mass from the U.S. is expected to move into Western Canada. From British Columbia to Manitoba, temperatures are expected to rise into the mid-20s. The warmer temperatures arrive after days of cooler weather.
With a report from CTV National News’ John Vennavally-Rao
