A multi-day heat event has prompted Environment Canada to issue a heat warning for Toronto and most of southern Ontario.
The heat event will begin on Sunday and is expected to last until Tuesday.
Environment Canada says Toronto will see daytime high temperatures of 30 to 34 degrees Celsius and humidex values of 36 to 42.
In the evening, there is a little relief from the heat as temperatures will only go down to a low of 19 to 23 degrees Celsius.
“The hottest conditions are expected on Monday,” the national weather agency said in the advisory.
Environment Canada noted that the duration of the heat event may vary for some regions. In Central Ontario, it could end Monday night, while hot and humid conditions could persist into Wednesday in some areas.
“Heat warnings are issued when very high temperature or humidity conditions are expected to pose an elevated risk of heat illnesses, such as heat stroke or heat exhaustion,” Environment Canada said.
In an interview with CP24, Environment Canada’s Senior Climatologist David Phillips noted that Toronto has been dealing with a lot of “very oppressive” heat so far this summer.
“We’ve had 22 days where the temperature’s been at 30 or above 30, and we’ve had 57 hours where the humidex has been above 40. Even the fit and athletic people would be labor under that kind of heat and humidity,” Phillips said.
On Sunday, the high will be 31 degrees Celsius and it will be mainly cloudy with a 30 per cent chance of showers in the morning. With the humidity, it’ll feel like 36.
A mix of sun and cloud and a 40 per cent chance of showers is in the forecast for Monday and Tuesday, with highs of 32 and 31 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The City of Toronto says workers are on hand to provide relief to individuals living outside during the heat event.
Speaking to CP24, Jas Baweja, senior communications advisor with the city, said 24 hour respite sites are available, and outreach staff does referrals for indoor locations like shelters.
“Outreach staff also hand out water, hygiene kits and other supplies, and the city is also activating around 100 additional shelter spaces at sites across Toronto. There’s also water trailers stationed across the city at Mel Lastman Square, Nathan Phillips and a couple of other locations as well. These trailers will provide tap water free of charge, 24/7 until the heat warning is over,” Baweja said.
