Monday could be Toronto’s hottest day in 2 years

Senior Climatologist David Phillips urges people to remain safe during the upcoming heatwave in Ontario as many may not be climatized to the hot weather.

If the forecast is correct, Monday’s stifling heat could mark the hottest day Toronto has seen in two years, Environment Canada’s David Phillips says.

A heat wave is expected to arrive in the region over the weekend with daytime highs above 30 C for three consecutive days beginning on Sunday.

The national weather agency is calling for a high of 33 C on Sunday, 35 C on Monday, and 33 C on Tuesday.

“If it gets to 35 on Monday, let me tell you, there has not been a warmer day in the last two years in Toronto and we’re not even to the dog days of summer yet,” Phillips said Friday.

“I look at the last 10 years, and I can maybe see two or three days that we got a temperature above 35.”

Monday’s forecast is above 10 degrees warmer than the average high for this time of year.

“We are not used to it. If this had been late July, we’d say, ‘Oh well another hot weekend,’” Phillips said.

“So far, it has been wet, it’s been coolish, and cloudy and smoky at times, but it has not been this kind of scorcher.”

He said the nights will offer little relief, with “tropical” lows of about 23 C.

“We are going to see humidex values in the mid-40s,” Phillips said.

“This is going to be jungle humidity, jungle heat. And it is absolutely going to be very difficult.”

The heat wave is expected to break on Wednesday, which will see a daytime high of 27 C.