Heat warning issued for Toronto as sweltering tempertures continue this weekend
Posted July 22, 2022 6:11 am.
Last Updated July 22, 2022 6:18 am.
Environment Canada has reissued a heat warning for the weekend as the sweltering temperatures are expected to continue in Toronto and several parts of the GTA.
The weather agency had ended the warning Thursday, but it was reissued early Friday morning.
The temperature is expected to reach a guaranteed high of 32 C Friday, with little relief overnight dropping only to 22 C. Humidex values are expected to be 35. Showers are possible this afternoon but will clear out in the evening.
It could feel more like 37 on Saturday with the humidex as the high is expected to reach 34 C. Scattered thunderstorms are expected in the evening, but the city won’t be rid of the heat just yet.
CityNews 680 Meteorologist Jill Taylor said the humidity and heat warning could continue on Sunday, reaching 31 C and a humidex value close to 40. “Scattered showers for Sunday, some could be severe with some very strong gusty winds,” said Taylor.
Fresher air on Monday will drop temperatures slightly and provide some relief from the heat overnight with highs near 27 C.
Environment Canada warns the hot and humid air could also bring deteriorating air quality and could but the health index in the high-risk category. It’s currently expected to hit a four, meaning there is a moderate risk over the weekend.
Related: Four Toronto beaches deemed unsafe for swimming due to high E.coli levels
The sweltering temperatures are taking a toll on the most vulnerable residents, with the Ministry of Long-Term Care reporting 90 homes still do not have air conditioning in residents’ rooms.
One woman tells CityNews her nearly 80-year-old father who recently tested positive for COVID-19 is stuck in a shared room at his for-profit long-term care home in Toronto — a room with no air conditioning in the midst of sweltering heat and humidity.
Legislation passed last year required all homes in the province to install air conditioning in all rooms by June of this year.
With files from Michael Ranger
