Normally, Lake Superior keeps us cool, but temperatures have risen more than expected today, as winds from the south and southeast dragged from Michigan.
While most of northern Ontario was already under a heat warning Monday, Sault Ste. Marie was expected to stay just below the 29-degree Celsius threshold set by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
That changed when mercury began to rise Monday afternoon, Environment Canada’s severe weather meteorologist Rob Kuhn said in a telephone interview.
“Today’s temperatures have indeed reached more than expected, so they have met criteria,” he said. “Given your location relatively close to Lake Superior, you’ll often be a little cooler than the more inland regions, but the wind direction for a while today came from the south and southwest of the peninsula. Upper Michigan, and this is a good direction for your temperature will rise. “
Environment Canada issues heat warnings when two or more consecutive days of maximum daytime temperatures are expected to reach 29 ° C or higher and minimum nighttime temperatures to be 18 ° C or more. It can also be issued when two or more consecutive days of humidex values are expected to reach 36 or more.
Maximum temperature in Sault Ste. Marie approached 32 degrees Monday afternoon, Kuhn said.
“Since you’ve now reached at least 31 degrees, there’s a heat warning in effect,” he said.
Tonight’s minimum temperature is expected to be 18 degrees and on Tuesday a maximum temperature close to 30 degrees is expected, with a night low of about 20 degrees.
“So it’s basically a two-day event that’s already underway,” Kuhn said.
Today’s high temperature of about 31.7 degrees has been the hottest day on record so far this year in Sault, but Kuhn said the heat warning may not last.
“We have a cold front that we can see in the northeastern tip of Ontario that is moving south. It should be approaching the Sault on Tuesday night or maybe Wednesday,” Kuhn said. “So we’re announcing slightly cooler temperatures forecast for Tuesday, which could be enough to end this heat event, but it will be very close, so we’ll have to keep an eye on it.”
Kuhn, meanwhile, suggests taking precautions with the heat.
“The most important thing is to never leave people or pets inside a parked vehicle, and if you go outside, drink plenty of water before you’re thirsty and try to stay in a cool place. So basically take care of yourself and try to keep “Stay hydrated,” he said.