One-day heat event breaks 5-decade temperature record in Ottawa

Ottawa reached a high of 31 degrees at 3 p.m. yesterday, surpassing a 57-year-old temperature record.

Environment Canada released a special weather statement for Ottawa and the surrounding area, calling June 5 a “one-day heat event.”

Previously the highest temperature was 30.6, yesterday’s heat broke it by 0.4 C.

When factoring in the humidex, the temperature felt like 36 C in the National Capital Region, data from the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport shows.

According to Environment Canada, June 5 has an average high of 22.5 C and average low of 11.3 C. Average temperatures were calculated based on weather data collected from 1939 to 2011.

The Climate Atlas of Canada expects a jump in the number of 30 C days for the nation’s capital.

There were 13.5 days where the temperature was above 30 C from 1976 to 2005 according to the Climate Atlas of Canada. It predicts this will rise to 31.4 days — up 17.9 — due to the warming of the planet.