First bout of 30 degree heat could hit Toronto by the long weekend

Josephine Young runs through a sprinkler as she takes a break from a bike ride near the Ottawa River on Tuesday July 7, 2020 in Ottawa. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Adrian Wyld)

TORONTO — Move over, spring. It's going to be looking and feeling a lot more like summer in the Greater Toronto Area by the end of the week.

Temperatures are on the rise across southern Ontario, with highs forecast in the mid twenties through mid-week. Humidity will start to build, as well.

By Friday or Saturday, Toronto could hit 30 degrees for the first time this year – just in time for the May long weekend and the unofficial start to summer.

Records to beat on those days are around 32 and 31 degrees.

The seasonal average, or "norm" for this time of year is around 20 C.

The month started off on a bit of a cool an unsettled note in Toronto. May 13 was the first time the city had hit 20 degrees since April 10th.

May is now also trending below normal when it comes to rainfall amounts.

So far, Toronto has picked up seven millimeters of rain this month. Normally, the city would collect around 76 mm of rain in May.

Aside from a slight risk of thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday, there is no soaking rain in the forecast this week.

If you're already looking for relief from the heat, temperatures are expected to return to more seasonal values on Victoria Day Monday.