Get ready for a sizzle, Southern Ontario. A multi-day heatwave is on the way, and the combination of high temperatures and humidity will push the “feels like” value into the low 40s.
An official heat warning is now in effect from Saturday through the middle of next week. Environment Canada is calling for daytime highs between 30 and 33 C, which will feel more like 35 to 40 C. Even the nights will offer little escape, with temperatures holding in the low 20s.
While this may not be the most extreme heat we’ve seen this summer, Global News’ chief meteorologist Anthony Farnell warns that it’s a significant event that still poses a risk.
“The heat won’t be as extreme as what we saw in late June or early July, but the duration of this event will make it memorable and dangerous for some people,” Farnell said. “Temperatures will remain above 20 degrees at night and during the day they will soar into the low 30s, but the humidex will top 40 for at least the next four days.”
The heat will arrive just as air quality begins to improve. Smoke from wildfires had lingered over Toronto and other southern Ontario communities for most of the week, but a shift in wind is expected to move it north.
“Air quality is starting to improve across southern Ontario as a southerly wind pushes the wildfire smoke back to the north,” Farnell said. “These same winds will transport in very humid and hot air this weekend and the heat wave will last through at least the first half of next week.”
The advice from Environment Canada is blunt: know the symptoms of heat exhaustion. Headaches, nausea, and dizziness are your body’s emergency signals. If you’re intensely thirsty, you’re already behind. The official recommendation is not a suggestion, it’s a command: hydrate constantly, and avoid direct sun during peak hours.
