It was a rainy and sweltering start to the workweek in the city.
The national weather agency issued a severe thunderstorm warning early Monday afternoon, which was dropped around 1:30 p.m. before another thunderstorm warning was issued at roughly 4 p.m. and then dropped two hours later.
The advisory was on top of a continuing heat warning issued over the weekend for the London region by ECCC, and a heat alert issued by the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU). The heat warning was also lifted at roughly 6 p.m. Monday.
“It’s the time of year when we start to occasionally get a really strong southerly flow, which brings really warm moist air off the Gulf of Mexico all the way up to Ontario,” said Ria Alsen, severe weather meteorologist with Environment Canada.
“It’s been hot and sticky over most of the province for the last day or so.”
The national weather agency reported temperatures less than a degree away from 30 C on Monday, feeling more like 40 C with the humidity.
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The heat alert issued by the MLHU was its second of the year. It came into effect Sunday and will stay in place until at least Monday night.
To stay cool and avoid and heat-related illnesses, keep window shades or drapes drawn and blinds closed on the sunny side of your home, wear loose-fitting, light clothing, and periodically take a cool bath or shower or cool down with cool, wet towels, the alert said.
Other precautions include not using your oven, trying not to eat heavy meals and avoiding spending too much time outdoors. If you do need to go outside, the health unit said to plan activities in the early morning or evening and seek shade as much as possible.
Environment and Climate Change Canada warns that young children, pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic illnesses and people working or exercising outdoors are at a higher risk of feeling the effects of extreme heat. It adds that you should never leave people or pets inside parked cars.
Your number one priority is to stay hydrated, Alsen said.
“Even before you’re thirsty it’s important to be drinking water and avoiding caffeine and alcohol because those will actually dehydrate you more quickly,” she said.
“Water is always best.”
Symptoms of heat illness include rapid breathing, weakness or fainting, headaches and confusion. If you feel any of those, the health unit says to seek help.
If you need a break from the heat and don’t have a cool place at home, community centres and libraries are designated cooling centres in the city.
There is some relief coming from the sweltering heat thanks to a cold front.
“It’ll give us that instability that will bring showers and thunderstorm activity and in behind the temperatures will drop off, as will the humidity,” Alsen said.
“While Monday will still be hot and muggy, Monday night will start to feel cooler and much dryer in the air.”
Compared to Sunday night’s low of 22 C, Monday night’s temperatures are expected to hit a low of 14 C.
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