toronto weather

Toronto expected to see warmest weather of 2021 this week amid brutal heat wave

After an atypically cool, wet and sunless July, Toronto is finally getting hit with some traditional summer weather — and hard. Perhaps a bit harder than some might have wished for.

Meteorologists are warning that Southern Ontario could see its highest sustained stretch of temperatures in 2021 to date this week, with plenty of humidity in the mix to make things feel even hotter.

"This is not a week to spend too much time outside in southern Ontario," reads an update published by the Weather Network on Monday morning ahead of what's being described as a "multi-day extreme heat event."

"High pressure over the region will keep heat and humidity at dangerous levels for most of the week, with daytime highs above 30 C and feeling more like 40 C with the humidex."

Unfortunately for sun-seekers, however, hitting the beach could be a bad idea: weather conditions are shaping up to be perfect for severe storms to form, potentially resulting in heavy downpours, strong winds, fat hail and localized flooding.

We'll likely see at least a few bouts of angry weather in Toronto before the weekend hits, as the forecast holds "a risk of strong thunderstorms" on Tuesday and less-severe thunderstorms for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Despite the active weather, heat and humidity will loom across the region all week, staying at what the Weather Network calls "uncomfortable and even dangerous levels."

We can thank a ridge of high pressure coming in from the southeastern United States for keeping Ontario warm and muggy for the foreseeable future. Wednesday is looking the hottest so far with a high of 30 C and a humidex value of 41 C.

Things should cool down by Saturday, when a high of 24 C is predicted, but the humidity will stick around (as it wont to do in these parts) for a while, rising up to make temperatures feel like they're in the 30s for all of next week, if the long-term forecast is accurate.

Uncoincidentally, a report from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released Monday morning warns that humans are fast-approaching the point of no-return when it comes to global warming, and that human-caused extreme heat events could now persist and worsen for centuries moving forward.

Lead photo by

LRayG


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

The former landmark HMV store on Yonge St. is getting a new tenant

Canadian Dental Care Plan expands to cover more services

Ontario drivers are so bad at using one road feature that police keep having to explain it

Abandoned century-old bridge in Toronto is finally being demolished

Several people injured in high-speed TTC crash overnight

Toronto neighbours build ghostly marriage proposal for Halloween

Upcoming job fairs where you can look for work in Toronto

Multiple Canadian companies just ranked among the world's best employers for women