It's so hot in Toronto right now that your luggage might be delayed at the airport

Whether it's hot or cold, Toronto loves to complain about our seasonal weather extremes, which somehow seem to cause serious problems despite the same phenomena happening each year.

This week kicked off with a heat warning for Monday and Tuesday, with Environment Canada advising residents that the city could experience deteriorating air quality and daytime highs around 31 C, which will feel more like 35–38 C with the humidity.

"There will be little relief through the overnight as lows are expected to be 20 degrees Celsius or above," the weather agency wrote, cautioning the public to take steps to avoid heat-related illness and look out for its warning signs.

As was the case with the last blast of heat in mid-June when train schedules were amended last minute and events were cancelled, some services may be impacted by the high temperatures — including parts of your journey if you're flying to or from YYZ in the coming days.

I recall growing up it would regularly hit around 30°c in the summer and -30°c in the winter with little to no disruption to our services. Now every time there's some "extreme weather" something gets delayed or doesn't run right. It sounds more like excuses to me.

— SHUTTERTHVGᵖʰᵒᵗᵒ (@shutterthvg) June 19, 2024

Toronto Pearson International Airport issued a PSA this morning to let passengers know that their flights and baggage may be delayed due to the conditions.

Though the message may sound a little strange at first, staff at the hub explained, "In this heat, our safety focus is to provide adequate breaks to allow outdoor workers to stay cool."

"This means your plane could take longer than expected to reach the gate, or your luggage processing could be delayed," they continued.

We’re expecting it to be a sizzling day as Environment Canada’s heat warning says daytime highs are expected to reach 35 to 38 C with the humidex.

In this heat, our safety focus is to provide adequate breaks to allow outdoor workers to stay cool. This means your plane could take… pic.twitter.com/8MmNNBTsUw

— Toronto Pearson (@TorontoPearson) July 8, 2024

With a cooler airmass due to take over Tuesday night, residents can expect some more comfortable temps as the week pushes on, though we may see some residual effects of Hurricane Beryl in the form of heavy rainfall on Wednesday and Thursday.