TORONTO – After enduring two seemingly unending winters in a row, one might be quick to say that we shouldn’t complain about the summer heat. Except, it’s been a particularly hot one for parts of the country this past week.
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In Toronto, temperatures have been averaging 30 C with humidity approaching the 40 C mark, prompting Environment Canada to issue heat warnings. The average daily maximum for the city in August is 26 C. And while the daily average for the month is usually 20.6 C, as of Aug. 16 it’s been 26.3 C. Though the city will get some respite by Thursday.
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And that hot weather is slowly making its way to Quebec.
After a weekend of temperatures of about 27 C, Montreal is heading into four days of hotter weather. Temperatures will be around 31 C Monday into Wednesday. And that humid air that makes it particularly uncomfortable is present as well.
“In Quebec, they have both warm temperatures and humidity where it’s reaching 40 C or higher,” said Geoff Coulson, warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada. And that’s why the weather agency has extended the heat warnings into the southern parts of the province.
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The cause of all this stifling heat is a large air mass that extends into Indiana, Ohio and New England. The air mass will continue to move northeastward, extending the heat to parts of eastern Canada.
Then there’s Atlantic Canada.
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In Halifax — where the average daily maximum is 23.6 C — temperatures have been closer to 30 C. And that temperature is expected to continue into the week. However, it won’t be quite as oppressive as the heat in southwestern Ontario and southern Quebec.
“The Maritimes have the temperature part of the equation, but not the humidity,” said Coulson.
Heat warnings are issued across the country based on certain criteria specific to particular regions.
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In extreme southwestern Ontario, a heat warning is “issued when 2 consecutive days of daytime maximum temperatures are expected to reach 31°C or more and nighttime minimum temperatures are expected to fall to 21°C or more or when 2 consecutive days of humidex values are expected to reach 42 or more,” according to Environment Canada’s website.
For the rest of southern Ontario, it’s similar, but the nighttime minimum temperature is 20 C or humidex values are expected to reach 40 C or more.
In Quebec (except Nunavik), the warning is issued when the humidex is 40 C or more and when the temperature is 30 C and both criteria are met for an hour or more. It may also be issued if the temperature is 40 C or greater.
Atlantic Canada doesn’t have nearly the same criteria. A heat warning is only issued when the humidex values or temperature reaches 40 C or more for at least one hour.
Although it may not be humid across the regions, it’s still important that people remember to keep hydrated, avoid going outdoors between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and try to stay in the shade.
To get real-time weather for your area, download the Global News Skytracker weather app.
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