Long weekend forecast: How the weather is shaping up for Victoria Day

For many Canadians, the Victoria Day long weekend is the unofficial kick-off for summer, and thankfully for most southern Ontario residents, the forecast looks rather promising.

The third week of May has been beautiful, particularly for those living in Toronto, with plenty of sunshine despite an unusually cold day on Wednesday. The rest of the week looks fantastic, with sunny skies forecasted on Thursday and Friday, with daytime highs of 16 C and 20 C.

The one blip on the weather radar is on Saturday, as there is a high probability of showers in Toronto and across most of southern Ontario, which could make the start of the weekend a wash.

Conditions will rapidly improve, though, as Sunday looks stunning with a daytime high of 22 C and mainly sunny skies across the city. Victoria Day Monday will be cooler (a daytime high of 15 C), but the sunshine will be present all day.

Elsewhere in the GTA, Halton-Peel regions, including Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville and Burlington, should expect a similar forecast to Toronto. Rain could start to fall Friday evening and be steady on Saturday.

Cottage country forecast

Those heading to the cottage should brace for cooler weather despite the promising outlook of sunny skies. In Muskoka, the rain will be steady on Saturday, and temperatures will cool down, leading to sunny skies on Sunday and on holiday Monday with forecasted highs of 16 C and 13 C.

Parry Sound will be warm on Friday, with a daytime high of 22 C before a drastic drop in temperatures on Saturday, with a high of 12 C and rain expected. There will be a slight temperature bump on Sunday with sunny skies and 15 C, before a cool but sunny day on Monday (12 C).

For those heading to Kawartha Lakes, you’re in luck. While rain is forecast for much of Saturday, the rest of the long weekend is promising, with sunny skies and a daytime high of 19 C on Sunday, and a brief drop in temperatures on Monday, with tons of sunshine and a high of 15 C.

In Haliburton, the rain slated to arrive on Saturday could continue into Sunday, with a 40 per cent chance of showers. However, It will be sunny most of the day before a cool down on Monday and a daytime high of 13 C.

Environment Canada is warning anyone travelling to cottage country this weekend to be mindful of cold lakes and big bodies of water, especially this time of the year.