The heat is on in much of Ontario this week, and it’s not expected to break until Wednesday.
A hot, humid air mass has parked itself over southwestern, southern and eastern Ontario bringing with it temperatures around 30°C with the humidex values around 40°C.
“Southern Ontario does get heat and humidity because we’re so close to the source, the source being the Gulf of Mexico,” said Trudy McCormack, Assistant Services Support Meteorologist with Environment Canada. “We have a direct pipeline from the Gulf of Mexico that gives us heat and humidity. The other thing is, there’s something called a Bermuda High, and because we’re in such close proximity to this high, we get southwesterlies from that as well.”
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High pressure systems are responsible for clear skies and good weather.
Read: Heat alert: How extreme heat affects the body
“A high sets up over Bermuda…and winds around a high are clockwise. So with Bermuda being to our east, it means that we have southwesterlies that come up and around right to us.”
The City of Toronto upgraded a heat alert to an extreme heat alert on Monday. It advises people to check on vulnerable friends and family. So far this year, there have been three heat alerts issued. This is the city’s first extreme heat alert. Last year the city issued nine extreme heat alerts.
Some relief is expected on Wednesday when a cold front comes into Ontario. There is a 70 per cent chance of showers.
“The humidity will break when we get some showers to clean it all out,” McCormack said.
In the meantime, remember to stay hydrated and to keep out of the sun. Make sure that pets also have plenty of water and are able to stay somewhere cool and out of the sun. As the UV index will be high over the next few days, remember to apply plenty of sunscreen if going outdoors.
To get real-time weather for your area, download the Skytracker weather app.
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