Summer arrives today. Environment Canada reveals weather outlook through August

Summer officially arrives on Wednesday and it appears Ontarians should be ready for a sweltering few months.

The new season will officially begin at 10:57 a.m. — and it will feel like summer in Toronto as humidex values hit 31 this afternoon.

“It’s another very warm, humid day,” says CityNews 680 meteorologist Jill Taylor. “It’s not an oppressive humidity, but you may feel it. The wind will be brisk again out of the east.”

Sunny start to summer! If officially arrives 10:57am! pic.twitter.com/fEnGmCTRh5

— Jill Taylor (@JillTaylorCity) June 21, 2023

The CityNews guaranteed high for Wednesday is 26 C. Taylor says we will see increasing clouds starting Thursday and some unsettled weather for the first weekend of summer, with some sunny breaks.

Rain could move in on Friday ahead of the weekend. Saturday and Sunday are expected to be warm with a highs in the upper 20s, but there could be some thunderstorms.

“One of those weekends where you just have to keep an eye on the sky,” says Taylor. “Rather unsettled.”

Environment Canada predicts hot, dry summer

Environment Canada has released its summer outlook, predicting dry conditions and higher-than-normal temperatures until at least the end of August for most of the country.

“June has already brought above-normal temperatures across the northern Prairies, northern Ontario, and northern Quebec,” reads the summer outlook. “Throughout the summer, higher temperatures are expected to persist in these regions, as well as in the rest of Ontario and Quebec, British Columbia, and Atlantic Canada.”

The forecast also cautions Canadians to monitor conditions and take weather alerts seriously since many parts of the country “are already experiencing the devastating impacts of wildfires.”

Environment Canada says climate change has impacted the duration and intensity of extreme weather with models suggesting the country is warming at approximately double the global rate.