Like its neighbor to the south, Canada is facing a prolonged heat wave this week, with forecasters warning that some areas will experience their first major heat event of the season as temperatures surge well above normal levels, especially around Canada Day on Wednesday.
The heat wave, which began on Tuesday, was expected to intensify over the coming days, with the highest temperatures forecast across southern Ontario, including Toronto, on Wednesday and Thursday.
Orange heat warnings — the second level in the country’s three-tier warning system — have been issued for the region in Ontario, where forecasters said temperatures could peak at 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit).
The heat is expected to remain elevated into Thursday, when temperatures in Toronto are forecast to reach 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit). The city is also set to host a World Cup soccer match that evening. Toronto’s average June high is around 26 degrees Celsius, according to Environment Canada.
High humidity will make the heat feel even more intense. Heat index values — a measure of what the temperature feels like to the human body, when humidity is considered with the air temperature — are expected to reach up to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit), the service said.
Little relief is expected overnight, with minimum temperatures forecast to remain in the low 20s Celsius (around 70 Fahrenheit).
The combination of hot and humid air could also worsen air quality, and result in the Air Quality Health Index approaching the high-risk category, Environment Canada warned.
The heat is not limited to southern Ontario. Central and eastern parts of the province, as well as far southern Quebec, including Montreal, are also expected to experience elevated temperatures. Yellow heat warnings, the lowest level alert, were in effect over these areas, with highs in the low 30s Celsius expected.
The extreme heat is being driven by a sprawling area of high pressure, or a heat dome, over North America that is also bringing a prolonged period of scorching heat to large parts of the United States this week.
More than 100 million people, from the Midwest to the East Coast, are at risk of temperatures reaching 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit) or more, including in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, where the heat may linger into early next week.
In Canada, however, forecasters said conditions were expected to ease more quickly, with temperatures in most areas of Ontario and Quebec returning closer to seasonal norms next week.
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