Summer forecast for Ontario promises wild temperature swings

Get ready for a turbulent season ahead, according to an Ontario summer forecast for 2023 released Wednesday.

The official start of summer may still be a few weeks off, though you’d hardly know it walking the streets of Toronto this week amid some very summer-like conditions. But according to The Weather Network’s 2023 Summer Forecast, residents of the city and surrounding province should enjoy that heat while it lasts.

After three solid years of weather patterns driven by the recently departed La Niña atmospheric phenomenon, Ontario is in for a very different-looking summer in 2023.

Will you need to prepare for a whole new level of summer chill this year, Canada?

Take a deep dive into our 2023 #SummerForecast! ⬇️

— The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) May 31, 2023

The pattern is now trending towards what The Weather Network forecasts as “a moderate, possibly strong, El Niño event,” which will translate to a summer marked by periods of heat interrupted by cooler temperatures than typical over the past few years.

It’s part of what the Weather Network describes as a “come and go” summer across Canada that will include stretches of hot and dry weather shuffled in with blasts of cool and unsettled weather.

“The global pattern is in a state of upheaval as we are seeing a rapid transition from an exceptionally persistent La Niña event to what appears to be a rather significant El Niño event,” said Chris Scott, chief meteorologist with The Weather Network.

“Therefore, our weather pattern this summer should be different from the past few summers with more changeable conditions. Overall, a cooler summer is expected, especially across the eastern half of Canada.”

Temperatures are expected to be near normal for the southernmost areas of Ontario, including Toronto; however, locals can look forward to some very unpredictable swings registering on thermometers this coming patio season.

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Scorching 30+ degree days are expected to be in shorter supply this summer, in what The Weather Network calls a “changeable summer… as the heat will lack commitment,” using a descriptor also fitting for Toronto’s dating scene.

By no means is this expected to be a freakishly cold summer or anything unpleasant like that. If anything, the forecast predicts a more comfortable summer, though that comes with the possibility of slightly above-average precipitation for southern parts of the province, including the GTA.