Morning briefing: Four things to know about Saturday, July 19

Saturday, July 19, 2014, 8:30 AM - Summer warmth persists in parts of Canada this weekend, while elsewhere a cooldown is slowing coming to an end, and some provinces are in for some storms.

Here's a coast-to-coast breakdown.

Atlantic Canada

Friday was nice and toasty on the East Coast Friday, and people in those provinces can expect more of the same today.

St. John's, however, will feel a little cooler today, thanks to a shift in wind direction, although incoming high pressure will bring sunny skies to most of the region today.

Sunday could bring a slight risk of showers or isolated thunderstorms along the Gaspe Peninsula and northern parts of New Brunswick.

Ontario

Ontario, however, is in for scattered showers in the south, making their way into the Greater Toronto Area by the late morning or early afternoon, and lingering through the day.

The north, meanwhile, saw some thunderstorms and showers overnight, dying down by the morning. 

For Sunday, there's more chance of non-severe storms, this time in the afternoon.

Sunday, meanwhile, is looking stormy again for parts of southern Ontario.

"The GTA will see isolated showers with a risk for thunderstorms through the London, Barrie and Ottawa area, along with cottage country," Weather Network meteorologist Kelly Sonnenburg said Saturday morning.

Temperatures, meanwhile, will climb slowly back up to seasonal for Toronto.

"By Monday or tuesday we should be feeling like the mid to high 30s," Sonnenburg says.

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Prairies

Last night was a stormy one in southern Manitoba, with a line of thunderstorms bringing toonie-sized hail, heavy rain and storm winds.

Severe thunderstorm watches and warnings were issued, and the weather station in Winnipeg even reported a funnel cloud.

This afternoon and evening, there's a more widespread risk of thunderstorms through Alberta and Saskatchewan.

There's also a chance of seeing some isolated severe storms, just west of Edmonton.

On Saturday morning, air quality advisories were in place for Calgary, Edmonton and much of central Alberta, due to smoke from wildfires burning in the Northwest Territories, Alberta and B.C.

British Columbia

In Neighbouring B.C., those same fires also have sparked air quality warnings throughout the interior.

There might be some relief, though, in the form of some showers that may help to clear the air somewhat.

The highest amounts, however, are set for the north and central coasts, although Vancouver should see scattered showers throughout the day into Sunday. 

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