Heat wave gripping Central Canada sends thermostat soaring, residents seeking relief

TORONTO — Scorching heat and humidity sent many Toronto residents seeking relief at splash pads, parks and public fountains Tuesday as a dangerous heat wave enveloped several Ontario communities while tornadoes threatened Montreal and drought conditions loomed in British Columbia.

Amid stifling weather in multiple parts of the country, the hot spot appeared to be Ontario, where Environment Canada warned the humidex could push temperatures to as high as 45 C in some areas.

Environment Canada forecasted a high of 38 Celsius for Toronto and warned of similar temperatures expected in parts of southwestern and eastern Ontario.

The heat warning extended to much of northern Ontario, spanning Kenora and Thunder Bay to Fort Hope and Timmins.

In downtown Toronto, city workers Andrew Loder and Matthew Botsford were outside much of the day to maintain plants at Berczy Park. They said the city gave them protective clothing and gear such as cooling headbands and armbands.

“Our supervisors also make sure to tell us (to) … take extra breaks,” Botsford said.

“It feels like we just have winter and then summer, but the summers are definitely getting hotter and hotter,” Loder said, adding that he tries to keep cool by staying indoors or going for a swim when he’s not working.

Toronto resident Daniel Navarro said he left home early on Tuesday to take his dog for a walk. If he’d left any later, the heat would have made it unsafe for both of them, he said.

“Physically it kind of like drains you, makes you more tired,” Navarro said. “Instead of enjoying super nice summer days, we have to worry about these heat waves too.”

The City of Toronto said several outdoor pools will remain open until nearly midnight Tuesday while officials in Vaughan, north of Toronto, said splash pad hours this week have been extended.

For Toronto resident Melissa Lenis, the cost of air conditioning her condo wasn’t worth it. She decided to work under a shady tree in a downtown park instead.

“Our condo gets really hot,” said Lenis, who brought two waters with her to stay hydrated.

Bikash Giri sat in the same park and said the trees “really help” with cooling down momentarily, but that he planned to find a restaurant with air conditioning to spend the rest of the afternoon.

In Quebec, the heat came with severe thunderstorm and tornado watches for southern parts of the province.

Environment Canada warned of strong wind gusts and large hail, with torrential rain reported in some areas Tuesday morning. A horse farm in the Estrie region was hit by a violent storm that resembled a tornado early Tuesday, its owner said.

Environment Canada meteorologist Kate Leclerc advised Quebecers to stay hydrated and ensure they have places to shelter in case a storm hits.

“Don’t put yourself in situations where you’re vulnerable,” she said, highlighting camping as a potentially risky activity.

In Montreal and southern Quebec, smoke coming from wildfires in northern Ontario hung in the air and gave the atmosphere a hazy orange tint. The haze was also present in parts of southern Ontario.

Similar temperatures in southern Manitoba were expected to even out, with daytime highs set to drop to the low-30s or high-20s for the rest of the week.

Terri Lang, an Environment Canada meteorologist, said some new weather records were set in the province on Sunday, when the town of Altona hit 38.5 C, McCreary reached 36.5 C and Portage la Prairie hit 35.7 C.

While Winnipeg didn’t set a record with 35.5 C on Sunday, it was hot enough in the city to cause at least 15 major roadway heaves, as well as more than 20 hazardous sidewalks.

Lang said the region has also seen elevated humidity from recent flooding, as well as from the crop-growing season where plants give off moisture in what’s sometimes called “corn sweat.”

Meanwhile in British Columbia, officials asked people to conserve water amid forecasts predicting elevated drought conditions across much of the province this summer.

The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship warned of drought conditions in the southern coast and southern Interior while parts of Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the southern Interior face record-low stream flows.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 14, 2026.

–With files from Monique Kasonga and Fatima Raza in Toronto, Ian Bickis in Winnipeg and Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman in Montreal