Floods to extreme heat: Canadians on both sides of the country grapple with wild weather

CALGARY — From flooding to extreme heat, Canadians across the country are facing severe weather ahead of Wednesday’s Canada Day holiday.

In Toronto and other parts of Eastern Canada, dangerously hot conditions on Tuesday prompted Environment Canada to issue a heat warning and advise residents to check on older adults and people living alone.

Temperatures in parts of Ontario and Quebec are expected to reach 34 to 37 degrees Celsius (93 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday and Thursday, coinciding with the holiday and the final World Cup match in Toronto. In response, city officials have set up mobile drinking water stations in parks and extended public swimming pool hours to help residents cope with the heat.

In Western Canada, heavy rainfall has triggered flooding and dangerously high stream levels in parts of Alberta, leading to evacuation alerts and stranding up to 1,500 campers in the popular Kananaskis recreation area on Monday due to road closures caused by flooding.

In Calgary, where the Calgary Stampede is set to begin on Friday, flows in the Bow and Elbow rivers are expected to remain high through Wednesday. Smoke from wildfires in northern Saskatchewan also drifted into the city this week, prompting an air quality warning.

Meanwhile, significant rainfall is forecast for parts of eastern Saskatchewan and western Manitoba over the coming days. In Manitoba, officials have warned that water levels in lakes and reservoirs could rise by 1 to 3 feet (0.3 to 0.9 meters), raising the risk of overland flooding.

-Reporting by Amanda Stephenson in Calgary; Editing by Rod Nickel/Reuters