April 12, 2023 at 9:55 am
Environment Canada is telling residents in southwestern Ontario to take advantage of the heat because it won’t last long.
Meteorologist Jeff Coulson said a low-pressure system will move into the region this weekend, bringing more seasonal daytime highs.
Ahead of that, Coulson said the records could fall in the next day or two, with intraday highs in the mid-20s on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Windsor is forecasting a high of 29C on Thursday. The record was set in 1941 at 29.4 C.
“Even today [Wednesday], the predicted maximum temperature is 27 C. The current record was set at 28.1 C in 1977, so it’s not that far off,” Coulson said. “Tomorrow, it’s closer to the record. “
Residents of Sarnia can expect highs of 28 degrees Celsius, breaking the previous record of 22.8 degrees Celsius set in 2006.
Chatham-Kent and Wingham could also break records. Chatham-Kent is expected to see a high of 26C on Thursday, well above last year’s record of 17.6C. Wingham will hit 24C, beating the previous record of 20.5C set in 2015. London will also come very close to its previous record of 28.9C with a high of 28C.
“I think what’s more interesting about this particular weather event is the length of time we’re dealing with these well above normal temperatures,” Coulson added. “Expect this to continue into Friday. A low 20s on Saturday and then we finally start to see more seasonal temperatures on Sunday and into next week.”
While heat may be unusual, the systems that give us heat are actually common, Coulson said.
“It’s an area of high pressure that often forms in the Atlantic [Ocean] On the Carolina coast or in the Bermuda area. When it strengthens — what we get is a very strong airflow from the deep south of the United States,” he explained.
Not only should we expect cooler temperatures in the second half of April, Coulson is forecasting close to or even below seasonal rainfall.