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Struggling with the heat? It’s not just you as summer days above 30 C spike

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Parts of Canada are starting to exit the latest crushing heat wave of the summer.

And if this summer has felt particularly brutal for you, you’re not alone — data shows multiple cities across Canada have already surpassed their normal number of days above 30 C.

Halifax, Toronto and Montreal are among those that have seen more days above that threshold than they normally do, while roughly 51 daily heat records were broken across the country on Monday as temperatures in many regions soared into the mid-30s C, according to Environment Canada.

Global News chief meteorologist Anthony Farnell says multiple heat waves and long-lasting ones is becoming a new normal.

“We’ve always had heat waves, that’s nothing new; it’s the duration,” he said.

“The fact that it’s not just a two- to four-day stretch of hot weather, it is lasting longer than typical and that leads to more drought and it can sometimes lead to extremes like we’re seeing now across the East.”

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In Halifax, for example, there have been seven days so far this summer where the temperature has surpassed 30 C.

It might not seem like much, but Farnell said it’s higher than the five seen last year, and above the normal number of days above 30 C, which is about three.

Ontario and Quebec have seen many more.


Click to play video: 'Health Matters: Heat wave continues in Eastern Canada'


Health Matters: Heat wave continues in Eastern Canada


As of Tuesday, Toronto has seen 22 days since June 1 where the temperature was above 30 C.

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The normal number for the city is about 17, but last year it only saw 10 days.

In an average summer, Montreal would normally see about 11 days above 30 C and last year it saw 12, but this year, Farnell said the city has already had 20 days.

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“We still have several weeks of warmth left, so it just really is a variable that alternates year to year, but it’s above normal this year in Toronto and for many cities across the country,” he said.

In Ontario, 10 heat records were broken or tied in places like Algonquin Park, Goderich, Parry Sound and Bancroft.

The Maritimes also saw records broken, with Mirimichi, N.B., breaking a temperature record that has stood for more than 150 years by hitting 37.6 C on Monday. La Scie, N.L., set a new monthly high of 31.5 C, breaking the 31 C record set on Aug. 7, 1990.


All that heat has also led to drought conditions in many locations.

Agriculture Canada reported that fully 71 per cent of the country was classified as abnormally dry or being in a moderate to extreme drought by the end of July.

St. John’s, N.L., typically sees a normal precipitation of 230 millimetres, but since June 1 has only had about 101 mm, while downtown Toronto has seen 80 mm instead of the normal 185 mm. Toronto’s rain is also a large decrease from the higher amount of rain seen last year, when it hit about 340 mm.

Farnell said these cities, as well as Halifax, are running under 50 per cent of their normal rainfall since the start of summer, which, coupled with drought conditions, leads to a high risk of fires.

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The latest figures posted by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre suggest wildfires have torn through 72,000 square kilometres, making it the second-worst season on record.

Yet not every city has faced high heat and low rain. Farnell noted that Calgary has actually seen higher amounts of rainfall, with 314 mm having fallen since June 1, compared with its normal 193 mm.

The city also has seen a slightly higher number than the normal five days of 30-plus temperatures with eight so far, but it’s still below the 15 seen last year.

Environment Canada told The Canadian Press in an interview that British Columbia and the Prairies are expected to see some rainfall this week as the heat wave facing parts of the country lifts, while some rain will also fall on the Maritimes toward the end of the week.

Farnell says that while rain is welcome, it will need to be more than a short shower for there to be an impact.

“Sometimes you can get a thunderstorm in a quick 20 to 30 millimetres, but it happens in less than an hour and most of that just runs off and it doesn’t get absorbed into the ground,” Farnell said.

More heat could be coming as summer still has a few weeks left, but Farnell says the weather pattern facing Canada is “turning cooler,” meaning wetter weather could soon be on the way.

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with files from The Canadian Press

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SIU probes use of anti-riot weapons during Gananoque incident involving OPP

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Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit said Sunday it is probing an incident that saw two Ontario Provincial Police officers discharge anti-riot weapons at a Gananoque man, leaving him injured.

The SIU announced the investigation on its website, saying in a statement that three SIU investigators and one forensic investigator have been assigned to the case.

A 42-year-old Gananoque man was transported to hospital for treatment after OPP officers discharged their weapons at him inside his home, the SIU said, without disclosing his injuries.

The SIU is an independent Ontario government agency that investigates the conduct of municipal, regional and provincial police officers.

According to the SIU, “preliminary information” suggests officers with the Gananoque Police Service were dispatched to the area of Second Street and Victoria Avenue at around 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 15, for reports of “a disturbance in the neighborhood.”

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Officers discovered that a man had allegedly barricaded himself inside a residence.  OPP officers were dispatched to assist, the SIU said.

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Shortly before midnight, the SIU said, OPP officers entered the residence and were met by the man who was allegedly armed with “edged weapons.”

Two officers discharged their anti-riot weapons (ARWENs) and released their service dog. ARWENS are described as non-lethal weapons.

According to the statement, the man was transported to hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries.


An SIU spokeswoman said the man remains in hospital Sunday afternoon.

“Investigators are awaiting confirmation as to the nature of his injuries,” the SIU spokeswoman said.

The SIU urges anyone in Gananoque who was near or at the scene who may have information about this investigation, including video or photos, to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529 or online at: https://siu.on.ca/en/appeals.php

The SIU is called to investigate incidents involving the discharge of a firearm at a person by police in Ontario, as well as incidents that may have resulted in death, serious injury, or sexual assault.

All investigations are conducted by civilian SIU investigators. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, once a probe is finished, the SIU director must consider whether the officers committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident investigated.

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Depending on the evidence, the SIU decides whether a criminal charge should be laid where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid.

The SIU must publicly report the results of all investigations.

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Rangers beat Blue Jays 10-4 to avoid series sweep

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TORONTO – Solo homers from Alejandro Kirk and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. were the only blemishes in Nathan Eovaldi’s effective seven innings as the Texas Rangers managed a 10-4 win in the series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.

Former Blue Jays infielder Marcus Semien and Wyatt Langford smacked two-run homers in the second and sixth innings, respectively, to help the Rangers (62-63) end a four-game slide.

Eovaldi (11-3) allowed five hits, striking out six with no walks in his 97-pitch performance.

The Rangers enjoyed a 2-0 lead when Kirk hit his homer in the second inning and were ahead 8-1 when Guerrero belted his 439-foot monster to left field for his 21st with two out in the sixth inning.

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Jose Berrios (9-5) was not sharp as his four-game win streak came to an end, as did the Blue Jays’ (73-52) three-game run before 42,549 at Rogers Centre.

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He lasted only 4 1/3 innings, giving up six runs on 10 hits, including the two homers. He struck out two Rangers.

The Rangers enjoyed a 5-1 advantage after Jake Burger’s single scored Semien, and a two-out single from catcher Jonah Heim scored two more. All three runs came with two out in the fourth.

George Springer belted a two-run homer in the eighth inning off reliever Hoby Milner in Springer’s second game back after missing 15 outings with a concussion.


Evan Carter answered with a two-run blast in the ninth.

Takeaways

Rangers: After going hitless in his first eight at-bats in the series, two-time World Series champion and MVP Corey Seager knocked a one-out solo shot down the left-field line in the fifth inning.

Blue Jays: Named Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt as starters against the Pittsburgh Pirates, meaning newcomer Shane Bieber likely will make his debut against the Miami Marlins on Friday.

Key moment

Heim’s bouncer up the middle cashed in two runs in the fourth inning to increase Texas’s lead to 5-1. Like Semien, Heim enjoyed a three-hit outing.

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Key stat

The Blue Jays missed a chance for their 10th series sweep, which would have matched them with the Milwaukee Brewers for the most in 2025.

Up next

Toronto begins a six-game road trip in Pittsburgh on Monday and concludes with a weekend series in Miami.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2025.

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Pakistan authorities defend flood response after 274 people killed

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BUNER, Pakistan (AP) — Rescuers recovered dozens more bodies from the rubble of collapsed homes in a northwestern district of Pakistan, bringing the death toll to at least 274, as authorities defended their response to the flooding and said they did not need any foreign help at this point.

Heavy rains and flooding also killed dozens of people in neighboring Kashmir.


Click to play video: 'South Asia flooding: Why the Kashmir region is increasingly susceptible to climate change'


South Asia flooding: Why the Kashmir region is increasingly susceptible to climate change


Mohammad Suhail, a spokesman for Pakistan’s emergency service, said 54 bodies were found in Buner, a mountainous area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where torrential rains and cloudbursts triggered massive flooding on Friday.

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Suhail said villagers remain missing, and search efforts are focused on areas where homes were flattened by torrents of water that swept down from the mountains, carrying boulders that smashed into houses like explosions.

Authorities have warned of more deluges and possible landslides between now and Tuesday, urging local administrations to remain on alert. Higher-than-normal monsoon rains have lashed the country since June 26 and killed more than 600.

In India-administered Kashmir, located across Pakistan’s northeastern border, rains triggered more flash floods in two villages in the Kathua district, killing seven people, officials said Sunday. Rescuers in Chositi village are still looking for dozens of missing people after the area was hit by flash floods last week during an annual Hindu pilgrimage. At least 60 people were killed, and some 150 injured. Over 300 others were rescued.

Warnings of more intense rain to come

Residents in Buner have accused officials of failing to warn them to evacuate after torrential rain and cloudbursts triggered deadly flooding and landslides. There was no warning broadcast from mosque loudspeakers, a traditional method in remote areas.

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The government said that while an early warning system was in place, the sudden downpour in Buner was so intense that the deluge struck before residents could be alerted.

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Lt. Gen. Inam Haider, chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, told a hastily convened news conference in Islamabad that Pakistan was experiencing shifting weather patterns because of climate change.

Since the monsoon season began in June, Pakistan has already received 50% more rainfall than in the same period last year, he added.


Click to play video: 'Pakistan floods: 9 dead after relatives attempt to rescue children swept away'


Pakistan floods: 9 dead after relatives attempt to rescue children swept away


He warned that more intense weather could follow, with heavy rains forecast to continue this month.

Some countries have reached out to Islamabad offering help, but Haider said Pakistan has sufficient resources and does not require foreign assistance at this time.

Asfandyar Khan Khattak, director-general of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, said there was “no forecasting system anywhere in the world” that could predict the exact time and location of a cloudburst, a sudden and intense downpour.

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Mohammad Iqbal, a schoolteacher in Pir Baba village, said the lack of a timely warning system caused casualties and forced many to flee their homes at the last moment.

“Survivors escaped with nothing,” he said. “If people had been informed earlier, lives could have been saved and residents could have moved to safer places.”

Idrees Mahsud, a disaster management official, said Pakistan’s early warning system used satellite imagery and meteorological data to send alerts to local authorities. These were shared through the media and community leaders. He said monsoon rains that once only swelled rivers now also triggered urban flooding.

An emergency services spokesman in Buner, Mohammad Sohail, said more than half the damaged roads in the district had reopened by Sunday, allowing vehicles and heavy machinery to reach cut-off villages.

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Crews were clearing piles of rocks and mud dumped by the floods. They were still using heavy machinery to remove the rubble of collapsed homes after families reported that some of their relatives were missing.

In one of the deadliest incidents, 24 people from one family died in the village of Qadar Nagar when floodwaters swept through their home on the eve of a wedding. The head of the family, Umar Khan, said he survived the floods because he was out of the house at the time.

Four of his relatives have yet to be found.

Pakistan is highly vulnerable to climate-induced disasters. In 2022, a record-breaking monsoon killed nearly 1,700 people and destroyed millions of homes.

The country also suffers regular flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September, particularly in the rugged northwest, where villages are often perched on steep slopes and riverbanks.

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Experts say climate change is intensifying the frequency and severity of such extreme weather events in South Asia.

Khalid Khan, a weather expert, said Pakistan produces less than 1% of planet-warming emissions but faces heatwaves, heavy rains, glacial outburst floods and now cloudbursts, underscoring how climate change is devastating communities within hours.


Click to play video: 'Pakistan monsoon: 63 killed in Punjab flooding in deadliest day'


Pakistan monsoon: 63 killed in Punjab flooding in deadliest day


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Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Rasool Dawar in Buner, Pakistan, contributed to this story, which was published Aug. 17, 2025. 


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