Seem like its getting hotter to you? You’re not imagining it. Canadian cities are heating up and could be experiencing tropical summers by the end of this century.
Summers around the world have been getting hotter than they used to be year after year. That rise in temperature is expected to increase particularly rapidly in urban environments, says the climate research and reporting team at Climate Central.
They report that: “The planet’s rapidly growing population combined with the urban heat island effect — which can make cities up to 14°F (7.8°C) warmer than rural areas — can lead too dangerous and potentially deadly temperatures.”
This includes even cities right here at home. Canada’s cities can expect to see summer temperatures more often associated with destinations much further south. For example, “Under the high-pollution scenario, currently mild Ottawa, Canada could have the tropical climate of Belize City by 2100.”
The Climate Central post also includes an interactive map that shows the current temperatures and climate change projections for cities around the world.
Here are the current average summer temperatures for some Canadian cities along with how warm Climate Central data predicts they will be by the end of the century.
| City | Current Average Temp | By 2100 |
| Vancouver | 20.1 °C | 27 °C |
| Calgary | 20 °C | 27.2°C |
| Toronto | 24.7 °C | 31.3 °C |
| Ottawa | 24.0 °C | 31.3 °C |
| Montreal | 23.3 °C | 30.4 °C |
Average current and projected daytime summer temperatures: Climate Central.
In reaction to these projections, The Weather Network warns that the rise in temperatures will also cause “changes in storm activity, rainfall amounts, water availability and potential drought, as well as species migration (plant, animal and microbe), but these tropical or sub-tropical summer temperatures will also give rise to more, more prolonged, and more intense, heat waves.”
Still, as warm as Canadian summers may get, we’re still better off that the real hotspots around the world.
Writes the team at Climate Central: “Up to a dozen cities will heat up so much, their summers will have no analog currently on Earth. Khartoum, Sudan’s average summer temperature is projected to skyrocket to 111.4°F (44.1°C). That shift underscores that unless carbon pollution is curbed, the planet could be headed toward a state humans have never experienced.”
You can consult the interactive map and check out current and projected summer temperatures around the world over on Climate Central.
Stay cool, Canada.
