Summer-like humidity for part of the Thanksgiving long weekend
Computer models show temperatures well above normal through the middle of October
If you are cooking Thanksgiving dinner this long weekend, there might be an urge to flip on the air conditioning if it gets too warm inside, because it is going to be mild and muggy outdoors.
Snowflakes at Thanksgiving in Barrie are not unusual, but this long weekend will feel more like July in parts of southern Ontario.
Forecasters say humidex values will be in the 27 to 31-degree range on Sunday. Even without the muggy air, daytime highs will be in the low 20s. Right now, Thanksgiving Monday looks like the pick if you have a hankering for lots of sunshine to go with those fall colours.
Severe weather meteorologist Brian Owsiak says computer models show above seasonal temperatures well into the middle of the month.
“Our forecast through the week does have temperatures up near 20 degrees pretty much every day, at least through the next seven to 10 days, even a bit beyond that, according to some of the guidance.”
The normal high in Barrie for this time of year is 14 and the normal low is plus 4.
The jet stream has pushed so far north that even places near James Bay like Moosonee are enjoying temperatures in the upper teens, well above the normal high of eight degrees.
The extended warmth is also keeping the Great Lakes on the mild side, relatively speaking. Owsiak was asked if the mild lakes could enhance snow squall activity when we eventually get a cold snap.
“That can lead to more lake effect snow. It depends on how quickly we turn cooler later in the fall and earlier in the winter,” he explains.
“It could contribute with some higher snowfall amounts earlier in the winter. We’ll have to see how the weather pattern plays out.”
But for now, keep the ice scraper in the trunk.
