Record high temperatures set Wednesday in the Maritimes

The combination of heat and humidity made for a summer scorcher in the Maritimes Wednesday. Temperatures set some new records for July 16.

High temperature records approached

As of 4 p.m. the hottest temperature in Canada reported from Environment Canada monitored weather stations was at Bathurst, New Brunswick which reached 33.9 C.

Humidex values across the Maritimes made it feel well into the high 30’s and even near 40 C for many communities.

Sites in all three Maritime provinces broke previous high temperature records.

Thursday thunderstorms

Building heat and humidity increases the potential for thunderstorms. All you need is a trigger. A weak cold front passing across the Gaspe Peninsula into northern New Brunswick could be the trigger Thursday.

The risk of thunderstorms will be highest in western and northern areas of New Brunswick beginning mid-to-late afternoon and extending into Thursday night.

The risk of thunderstorms would typically diminish through the evening but because of the high heat and humidity I would extend the risk well into Thursday night.

Along with lightning the most likely hazards associated with any developing storms include downpours and flash flooding. There is also a moderate risk of strong local winds, with gusts that could approach 90 km/h in close vicinity to the thunderstorms.

A more widespread chance of showers and thunderstorms is expected for the Maritimes on Friday.