Ontario: Bump in lake temps make for ideal long weekend "floatie forecast"
The Labour Day long weekend is creeping closer and as many southern Ontarians start to finalize their plans, we want to take you Beyond The Forecast, giving you all the weather-related tips you'll need to make the most of this, second to last, long weekend of the summer.
Be sure to check back every day this week as we'll have the latest details on the overall temperature pattern, best ways to beat the heat, and major events happening in and around Toronto for those looking to just "staycation."
LAKE WATER TEMPERATURES SEE NICE BUMP FROM CANADA DAY
You'll likely remember that "swimworthy" test that sent Storm Hunter Mark Robinson into the frigid waters of Lake Ontario back on the Canada Day long weekend last month. That's as meteorologist Jaclyn Whittal basked in all the summer glory pool-side, taking a huge win for the pool versus lake swimming experiment.
While we know pool temperatures will take the obvious lead for comfort once again this long weekend, some major lakes have managed to see a nice bump since we last checked back in July.
Take Lake Huron for example, which was sitting at a chilly 10°C on July 1, the current lake temperature has actually increased by nearly 10°C since then.
"And if you've already got your Muskoka chair reserved in cottage country, lake temperatures have significantly warmed since the July long weekend as well," says Whittal. "It takes water a long time to heat and cool, but most areas have seen a gradual increase with our recent heat wave and warming temperatures through July."
Keep in mind however, that although somewhere like the popular cottage country Lake of Bays is currently sitting at a very comfortable 26°C for water temperature at the surface, the deeper you go, the colder that lake water will get.
Lake Simcoe also averages at about 23°C in late July and early August.
While Great Lakes temperatures are very close to their highest levels of the season, The Weather Network meteorologist Dr. Doug Gillham says that our peak swimming weather is already behind us.
“Water temperatures in the Great Lakes and in the lakes across Cottage Country have already started to cool off from their warmest levels, which were reached during early August. This has been due to several rather chilly nights during the past two weeks and the steadily decreasing sun angle that occurs as we transition from summer to fall,” explains Gillham.
Of course, there is more to swimming than just water temperatures. The air temperature will also impact our desire to go jump into a lake.
Gillham says for the Labour Day long weekend air temperatures will be 5 to 10 degrees cooler than what we saw during the Canada Day long weekend and Civic Day long weekend. This will also be quite a contrast to how we ended summer last year when temperatures soared into the lower 30s for Labour Day with a humidex near 40.
WARMEST LAKE IN CANADA GOES TO...
If it's the warmest lake you're looking for, you'll have to consider a trek over to Osoyoos, British Columbia.
"The most prime water temperatures for your floatation device is definitely Osoyoos where temperatures average at about 25°C in this lake for most of the summer," adds Whittal.
