Higher temperatures are warming up parts of Ontario and we're starting to get some summer vibes.
But there are actually spots that might be some of the hottest in Canada in the near future, and that all depends on our carbon emissions.
A recent report by the Intact Centre On Climate Adaptation, a research centre located at the University of Waterloo, declared which will be some of the "hottest" cities in Canada out of 35 metropolitan areas during the years 2051 to 2080, and many of them are going to be right here in Ontario.
According to the data, Windsor is set to hit the highest maximum temperature in Ontario at 39.6 C, if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.
Here's how hot other cities across the province might get in the future, based on "high carbon" scenarios:
1. Kelowna (40.2 C)
2. Regina (40.1 C)
3. Windsor (39.6 C)
4. Winnipeg (39.5 C)
5. Saskatoon (39.4 C)
6. Lethbridge (39.3 C)
7. Hamilton (38.9 C)
8. Ottawa (38.6 C)
9. Niagara Falls - St. Catharines (38.5 C)
9. Brantford (38.5 C)
10. Toronto (38.4 C)
Comparison in projected temperatures of cities across Canada in 2051 - 2080. Intact Centre On Climate Adaptation
"This [high carbon] scenario assumes that world GHG emissions continue to increase at current rates through the end of the twenty-first century. This large volume of GHG emissions results in more severe global warming," the report noted.
Here are the three key indicators of extreme heat
The data, which also collected information on city temperatures from 1976 to 2005, was based on "three indicators of extreme heat":
- places with the warmest maximum temperatures
- the cities with the most number of "very hot days" that are at least 30 C or above
- areas that had the longest average length of a heatwave (when temperatures have been at least 30 C for three consecutive days or more)
Windsor topped the list for being the city set to have the most amount of "very hot days" across Canada with nearly 79 scorching days predicted for the 2051-2080 scenario.
Hamilton came in second with 63.3 projected "very hot days" and Niagara and Brantford tied in third for having a total of 63 days.
Windsor also sits as the second-place city to have the projected longest average heatwave in the country at 9.8 days.