Greater Toronto Area residents should brace for several days of heat, humidity and thunderstorms before a cooldown brings relief next week, according to The Weather Network.
The forecaster says a multi-day thunderstorm threat will continue across Ontario through the weekend, with humidex values surpassing 30 in many areas.
Heavy rain possible Friday
Heavy rainfall is possible Friday morning into the early afternoon in areas including London, Hamilton, Niagara and parts of the western GTA. The Weather Network says conditions may turn drier by early Friday evening, but a renewed risk of storms is possible later that night in southwestern regions, where storms will be scattered along lake breezes.
Farther north, a low-pressure system is expected to bring a risk of severe storms to northeastern Ontario during the afternoon and evening hours, with strong wind gusts as the main concern.
Weekend uncertainty
Forecasters say there is higher uncertainty around Saturday's storm risk. Some heavy rain is expected to track east through the GTA on Saturday morning, and that area of precipitation may develop into strong to severe thunderstorms as it moves toward Kingston and Ottawa.
The Weather Network notes the system may also carry upper-level wildfire smoke from British Columbia and Washington state, adding to the complexity of the forecast.
The forecaster is advising people to stay up to date on changing conditions and any weather alerts in their area, noting that higher-than-average uncertainty remains about storm severity and which locations will be hit.
Cooler pattern next week
Relief is on the way. Next week is expected to begin with near-seasonal temperatures before trending cooler by mid-to-late week, according to The Weather Network.
Below-seasonal temperatures are forecast to persist through next weekend and into the third week of August. While a few rounds of showers and thunderstorms are still likely, significant rainfall totals are not anticipated.
