As extreme heat continues to cast over the city of Toronto, Environment Canada is warning of poor air quality on Monday.
The air quality warning, which was issued by the national health agency late Sunday night, says that smoke from forest fires over northern Ontario have moved into the area, causing the air quality to “deteriorate significantly.”
“We had a sort of weak little front or trough come through last evening across southern Ontario and behind that the winds were a bit more out of the northwest, and that trough had basically been bringing in smoke from these fires that are further away in northwestern Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan — bringing the smoke with it,” Crawford Luke, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, told Now Toronto on Monday.
Luke says that residents may still notice smoke between today and tomorrow, as the sky may appear to be a “milky colour.” But Luke adds that the worst of the air quality may improve by Monday afternoon.
“We’re thinking right now that this morning is the worst of it. Throughout the day we’re expecting it to kind of shift eastwards but kind of mix out, so that just means it’s going to mix into other parts of the atmosphere that aren’t at the surface.”
Additionally, Environment Canada says the poor quality may continue throughout the day, potentially persisting into Tuesday for some areas.
The national health agency is urging residents to limit outdoor activities, reschedule or cancel outdoor sports, activities and events, noting that “everyone’s health is at risk regardless of their age or health status” during heavy smoke conditions.
In addition, those 65 years and older, along with pregnant people, infants and young children, individuals with existing illness or chronic health condition, and those who work outdoors are being advised to avoid strenuous activities and to seek medical attention if experiencing symptoms.
Luke says the hope is for residents to experience and enjoy more comfortable temperatures and better air quality toward the end of the week.
Meanwhile, the air quality warning comes as Toronto braces for another week of hot, hazy, and humid weather.
“It’s like a longer duration heat event, but it’s not necessarily the hottest one we’ve ever seen. That being said, we’re still expecting some pretty hot temperatures,” according to Luke.
On Monday, temperatures are set to hit 31 C, feeling like 40 with the humidity, and a low of 20 C.
A high of 32 C is expected on Tuesday, feeling closer to 37 with the humidity, and a low of 21 C.
Wednesday’s weather is set to hover around 32 C, with a 30 per cent chance of showers, and a low of 23 C.
But Luke says the diminished air quality is not related to the increasing temperatures across the city.
“In the past we’ve typically seen heatwaves kind of go hand in hand with the poor air quality, but usually in those cases the problem was coming from pollution from people. In this case it’s coming from wildfire smoke.”
