Even though the arrival of summer is still weeks away, it certainly won’t feel like it for much of Ontario as the longer-term forecast for the first half of June is calling for well-above-average temperatures.
“Heat is building across the west and will be on the move in the coming days,” Global News chief meteorologist Anthony Farnell said Tuesday afternoon.
For areas in and around Toronto and Ottawa, he said the first day where it will be at least 30 C is likely to come on Saturday. However, Farnell said that heat will likely continue into the following week and potentially into the second half of the month.
Combined with increased humidity, he said there’s the strong potential to see a “dangerous” humidex around 40 C most afternoons.
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Farnell said the biggest temperature deviations compared with a typical June likely will be around the Great Lakes areas. He said temperatures could be up to five degrees above seasonal.
When it comes to precipitation, southern and eastern Ontario have been particularly hit with a lack of rain. Farnell said in May, there was only 15 to 30 per cent of the normal total rainfall.
He said some wet weather is likely to come before the weekend, but after the upcoming temperature spike there will only be isolated showers — adding to rainfall deficits — which creates a challenge for farmers who have been dealing with unusually dry soil conditions.
And when it comes to local rivers and lakes, Farnell said water levels have been running low.
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