Canada's October temperatures set to teeter-totter due to record-breaking U.S. heat
Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north. At the same time, southern parts of the Prairies could see temperature rise well above seasonable as a ridge of heat builds in out of the southwestern United States.
Record-breaking heat in the U.S. Southwest
A stagnant area of high pressure has trapped increasingly hotter air in the U.S. Southwest. In meteorology, this is sometimes referred to as a “heat dome”.
Previous high temperature records for early October are being smashed in states such as Arizona and California. Palm Springs, CA, set a new record high temperature of 47.2 C and Phoenix, AZ, set a record of 45.0 C.
The record at Phoenix is an all-time high for an October and the latest into the year a temperature of 43 C or more has been recorded (it was previously Sept. 19), according to the National Weather Service. Approximately 39 million Americans were under a heat warning on Wednesday.
Further record-setting high temperatures are expected this week.
More record-setting high temperatures are forecast in the U.S. Southwest, per the National Weather Service Office in Arizona. (Source: National Weather Service Office)
Temperature teeter-totter
Could Canada get into some of that U.S. heat? Next week there is a chance that southern parts of the Prairie provinces could experience a touch of “Aug-tober.”
A change in the jet stream – higher level winds that typically mark the border of areas of warm and colder air in the atmosphere – will see a ridge develop northward over the Canadian Prairies while a trough dips southward into eastern Canada.
Under the ridge a southerly wind will bring some of the very warm air in the U.S. Southwest northward. Some long-range forecast guidance indicates it may be enough to push high temperatures towards the mid-to-high 20s in parts of southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba Tuesday and Wednesday. Those high temperatures would be near 10 degrees above early October averages for that part of the country.
A touch cool in parts of the west while milder in the east this first week of October. (Source: CTV News Atlantic)
In the meantime, eastern parts of the country that enjoyed a mild start to October get a taste of cooler Autumn air. High temperatures in parts of Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada lowering into a range of the high-single digits to mid-teens. It should be noted that in many cases that level of temperature is seasonable to just a touch below for early October.
A reversal next week as the east cools and parts of the west could experience temperatures climbing well above seasonable. (Source: CTV News Atlantic)
Early October heat records in Canada
There is a chance southern parts of the Prairies could approach standing daily high temperature records next week. That will depend on just how much of a push the warmer air in the U.S. gets northward. It has been plenty warm in early October in years past for the southern Prairies.
If we look at Oct. 9, the standing high temperature record for Winnipeg is 27.8 C, set in 1938. For Regina, Saskatchewan, it is 30.1 C, set in 1910. The record daily high temperature for Calgary is 25.4 C, which was set in 2023.
Despite the warm up, most long-range weather models indicate temperatures falling short of those standing records at this time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump chooses anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, putting him in charge of a massive agency that oversees everything from drug, vaccine and food safety to medical research and the social safety net programs Medicare and Medicaid.
LIVE UPDATES Rogers Centre opens its doors to thousands of Taylor Swift fans for the first sold-out show
Taylor Swift is in Toronto to perform her first of six sold-out shows at the Rogers Centre tonight.
Purolator workers won't handle Canada Post packages if strike occurs, union says
Teamsters Canada says if Canada Post workers go on strike or are locked out, its members at Purolator won't handle any packages postmarked or identified as originating from the carrier.
Canada urged to cut government-funded research collaborations with China: report
A newly released report is urging Canada to immediately end all government-funded research collaborations with China in a variety of different areas.
Measles cases in New Brunswick continues to climb
The number of measles cases in New Brunswick continues to climb. Officials with New Brunswick’s Department of Health said as of Thursday, the number of confirmed cases since October has reached 43.
Police release bodycam video of officer-involved incident at Hindu temple protest in Brampton, Ont.
Police say an officer who forcefully removed a 'weapon' from a protester outside of a Hindu temple in Brampton was acting 'within the lawful execution of his duties' after bystander video of the incident circulated widely online.
Here's how a potential Canada Post strike may affect Canadians
A disruption in Canada Post services would hit some Canadians harder than others. As the deadline approaches for a potential strike at midnight Friday, CTVNews.ca asked readers how it would affect them and how they are preparing.
Police foil attempted $13,000 cheese theft in North Vancouver
Police in North Vancouver say they prevented the theft of nearly $13,000 worth of cheese from a grocery store earlier this year. Now, they're asking the public for help finding the alleged thief.
Partial confinement lifted in Longueuil after CN train derailment and chemical spill
The City of Longueuil has partially lifted the confinement measure currently in effect around the site of a CN train derailment near Jacques-Cartier West Boulevard and Saint-Georges Street after the incident spilt an unknown quantity of hydrogen peroxide Thursday morning.