Severe thunderstorms appear to be heading towards the Greater Toronto Area as a three-day heat event comes to an end.

Environment Canada issued number of warnings for cities within the regions of York and Durham on Thursday afternoon. Other areas of southern Ontario, such as Barrie, Caledon and Haliburton, are also under severe thunderstorm watches and warnings.

“Scattered thunderstorms are expected to develop early this afternoon as a slow moving cold front moves through southern Ontario,” the weather agency writes.

“The severe thunderstorm threat will diminish this evening.”

Environment Canada warns that localized rain could cause lightening or hail, as well as heavy downpours.

The storms may break a heat wave that has caused soaring temperatures feeling like 40 C across the Greater Toronto Area.

In Toronto, there is a 30 per cent of showers Thursday afternoon and a risk of thunderstorms in the evening and overnight.

Environment Canada indicates that conditions should improve as early as Thursday afternoon “with the passage of the cold front.”

HEAT NOT HELPING WILDFIRES

In a briefing, officials with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) noted that while rain is in the forecast, there has been little precipitation over the last 72 hours to help calm the fires affecting most of northern and northeastern Ontario.

“Most of Ontario and Quebec have been fairly dry over the last few days,” said Steven Flisfeder, a meteorologist with ECCC. “We’ve also seen less precipitation as a result of those heat days … those two things combined are allowing for the fires to continue to spread this year.”

“Any rain they can get will be beneficial.”

At the same time, officials say that about half of all wildland fires in Ontario are caused by lightning.

The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) warns of “holdover lightning fires” after some “unsettled weather.”

Twenty-two more fires were reported in Ontario by the CIFFC on Thursday. Of those, 21 were naturally caused.