Hot weather will 'shock' Hamilton this week, feeling close to 40 C: meteorologist

Air conditioning will be a necessity this week as Hamilton is set to see its first heat event of the summer — one that will have Tuesday feeling like 38 C with the humidity.

Mitch Meredith, a severe weather meteorologist with Environment Canada, said the forecast is seemingly "flipping the switch" from the weather this spring.

"The heat will be unusual for two reasons. The first is it has been a cool spring and below normal ... it is a trend, it looks like we're getting into this warmer air mass and sticking with it through the later days this week," he explained.

"Not only do we get the high daytime temperatures, we also get the warm, night time temperatures with a bit of humidity this week ... that'll be quite a change from the weather we've been seeing this spring."

Meredith added cold air from the Arctic delayed this heat wave but said it will come hard this week, especially on Tuesday.

"It's not going to be like the middle of the summer but it could be a shock to the system because we haven't seen a humid day until Tuesday ... it could be almost feeling like 38 Celsius," he said.

"There is a bit of a lake effect, so if you're near a lakeshore or great lake, it will be noticeably cooler there."

Meredith noted that surge of heat will likely subside by Thursday, but he suspects the weather agency may have to issue a heat warning or advisory.

If so, he wonders how cities will manage cooling centres in the age of physical distancing.

"We'll need to figure out how to cool down during this period because it's a different year with different rules in place."

Sunday evening is set to see rain with a chance of thunderstorms and drop to 17 C.

Here's a look at the weekly forecast as per Environment Canada:

• Monday — 28 C and mainly sunny.
• Tuesday — 29 C with a chance of showers at night.
• Wednesday — 31 C with a chance of showers at night.
• Thursday — 23 C with a chance of showers.
• Friday — 22 C with a mix of sun and cloud.
• Saturday — 20 C with a mix of sun and cloud.