Heavy rain to move out of GTA this morning; muggy air mass will stick around
Posted July 13, 2023 7:13 am.
Last Updated July 13, 2023 10:58 am.
It’s was a stormy Thursday morning for much of the GTA with heavy downpours, thunder and lightning moving through the region.
The City of Toronto escaped the worst of the unsettled weather, but rain lingered for the early parts of the morning rush after overnight thunderstorms.
“We’ve already had some thunderstorms roll through the area and some of these storms easily dumping 20 millimetres of rain in some spots,” says CityNews 680 meteorologist Jill Taylor. “For Toronto and most of the GTA, most of the activity will come to an end around 8 o’clock this morning.”
Northern York Region, including Newmarket and Georgina, were under a severe thunderstorm warning, with Environment Canada warning of storms “capable of producing very strong winds.” The warning has since been lifted along with a special weather statement for heavy rainfall.
The weather agency had warned of rainfall amounts of up to 40 millimetres through the morning and into the afternoon for northern parts of York and Durham.
The Toronto Region and Conservation Authority (TRCA) has issued a statement on watershed conditions, warning of possible flooding in the GTA’s river systems. The TRCA is advising residents to avoid recreational activities in or around water.
“Please exercise caution if you must be around any bodies of water, rivers or streams as well as the Lake Ontario shoreline,” reads the statement. “Avoid areas already experiencing erosion or blockages with debris.”
TRCA has issued a Watershed Conditions Statement: Flood Outlook and will be in effect through end of day Thursday. Many of TRCA’s rivers and streams have elevated water levels and should be considered dangerous. #ONStorm https://t.co/Glw1Q12xl0
— TRCA Flood (@TRCA_Flood) July 13, 2023
Once the storms move out on Thursday it will be partly cloudy with a guaranteed high of 24 C. The departing wet weather will leave behind a muggy air mass, meaning high humidity over the weekend when temperatures will feel like the mid 30s.
“This activity is really not cooling us down, it’s just kind of heating us up,” says Taylor. “We’re left with this muggy, tropical air.”
It will feel like close to 35 C on Friday and will remain hot on the weekend with some scattered wet weather in the forecast for Saturday.
