Toronto reaches highest recorded temperature in nearly a decade

CTV News

5 days ago

A man sleeps on the sandy beach along Lake Ontario in the extreme heat in Toronto on Friday, July 19, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Toronto's heat wave is now in its second day and the temperature in the city could reach a high unseen in 10 years.
A heat warning is in effect and Environment Canada is forecasting a high of 36 C Monday, which could feel like 46 with the humidity.
The last time Toronto saw a temperature that high was on July 13, 2016.
Here's how the city is handling the heat:
5:10 p.m. - Toronto hits highest temperature in years
The current temperature at Pearson International Airport is 36 C, according to Environment Canada. The previous record for today's date was 32.8 C in 1983.
The city has now hit highest temperature recorded in nearly a decade, since July 13, 2016.
4:30 p.m. - 'Take precautions to stay safe'
Toronto Public Health (TPH) is advising residents to take precautions amid the extreme heat.
In a statement Monday afternoon, TPH said, 'Extreme heat can cause serious health risks for people of all ages, including heat stress, heat stroke, and, in severe cases, death,' warning that the effects of the heat can be worse for infants, older adults, and anyone with preexisting health concerns.
They advise Torontonians to stay hydrated, wear lose and breathable clothing, avoid direct sun exposure, and check in on family and friends.
3:50 p.m. - Power restored
Toronto Hydro says that power has been fully restored following an earlier outage at Hydro One's Bridgeman Transmission Station that left approximately 2,700 customers in the dark. The utility says that it continues to investigate the cause of the outage.
'We truly appreciate everyone's patience while we worked to restore power,' it said in a message posted to social media.
3:30 p.m. - Heat appears to break record
The current temperature at Pearson International Airport is 35 C, according to Environment Canada. The previous record for June 23 was 32.8 C (1983). If the temperature reaches 36 C, it will be the highest temperature recorded in Toronto in nearly a decade. The mercury hit 36 C exactly on July 13, 2016.
2:15 p.m. – TTC station closed
The TTC says that trains are not stopping at Summerhill Station due to a Toronto Hydro power issue. It's unclear when the power will be restored.
2 p.m. – Mayor Chow asks residents to stay indoors
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow asked residents to stay indoors, whenever possible, in a news release issued Monday.
She also apologized to residents after the city closed some pools Sunday on the first day of the heat wave.
'This cannot happen again. When it's hot outside, residents need to be able to get out to the pools and cool down,' she said at a news conference.
1 p.m. – 'Anybody's who's outside is at risk'
Speaking with CP24, Environment Canada meteorologist Steven Flisfeder said that 'anybody who's outside is at risk of heat illness' today.
'Heat stroke, heat exhaustion, those things are very real concerns for anybody that's outside. In particular, people who are especially susceptible, who have preexisting conditions that may be aggravated by these temperatures and humidity.'
12:30 p.m. – More than 2,700 without power
Toronto Hydro's outage map shows that more than 2,700 customers are without power Monday afternoon.
The bulk of the affected customers appears to be in midtown Toronto, near St. Clair Avenue West and Avenue Road. It's not clear when power will be restored.
'We're working with Hydro One to restore power as quickly as possible,' a Toronto Hydro spokesperson told CTV News Toronto in an email.
11:30 a.m. – Premier Doug Ford criticizes pool closures
Ontario Premier Doug Ford took issue with the city closing some of its pools on Sunday amid the heat.
The City of Toronto confirmed it had closed some of its facilities yesterday due to 'extreme humidex' levels and citing provincial requirements around health and safety.
'I don't know, it sounds like a poor excuse,' Ford said. 'But neither here nor there, they should have the pools open, and we appreciate the lifeguards.'
As of Monday, 15 of the city's pools are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
11:20 a.m. – No crossing guards in Oakville
Halton police say there are no crossing guards in Oakville today due to the 'extreme temperatures.'
'Please be extra vigilant when driving throughs school zones, slow down, and obey posted speed limits,' the service said in a post on social media.
11:00 – Some French-language schools closed
Some French-language schools closed Monday due to a lack of air conditioning.
Six schools within the Viamonde School Board, including three in Toronto, have shut their doors for the day amid the heat, the board announced in a post to its website.
'These schools do not have air-conditioned spaces or cooling areas that allow a minimum level of comfort for students and staff,' the board said.
10:30 a.m. – TDSB addresses heat wave
In a letter addressed to parents and guardians, the Toronto District School board warned of 'uncomfortable conditions' at some schools today due to the heat and advised children to wear light clothing, hats and to stay hydrated.
'Across the TDSB, while some schools are fully air conditioned and some are partially air conditioned, others have no air conditioning and the extreme heat will result in uncomfortable conditions,' the letter read in part.
TDSB spokesperson Shari Schwartz-Maltz said every school has a 'cooling centre,' including areas like an air-conditioned library or gym, where students can find 'some relief.'
'Everybody's very prepared. Information went out to all our administration this weekend on what to do to keep staff safe, keep kids safe. So, I think it's going OK, so far.
The school board said closing schools during a heat wave is 'not an action typically taken.'
9 a.m. – Temperature could break record
After a sweltering Sunday, when the mercury reached 35 C at its peak, the temperature will climb one degree higher on Monday and potentially break a heat record.
If the temperature does reach 36 C, CP24 meteorologist Bill Coulter says that it will be the hottest daytime temp-temperature reached at Pearson since July 13, 2016.
The heat wave is expected to continue into Tuesday when the daytime high will reach 33 C.