An intense heat wave blanketed Southwestern Ontario on Wednesday, forcing the cancellation of multiple local Canada Day events and prompting severe weather warnings across the region.
Environment Canada placed the entire region under an orange heat warning as daytime temperatures were expected to peak at 37 C, with humidity making conditions feel significantly hotter.
"Minimum temperatures of 21 to 25 C will provide little relief from the heat.
Hot and humid air can also bring deteriorating air quality and can result in the Air Quality Health Index approaching the high-risk category," the agency said in its heat warning updated at 4:50 p.
m. Wednesday.
The agency also issued an orange thunderstorm warning on Wednesday afternoon, which brought rain and strong wind gusts to the London region.
Hydro One reported that more than 16,000 customers located west and north of London lost power due to the storm.
The dangerous conditions led to immediate infrastructure challenges and highway closures. Lambton OPP announced on social media at around 6 p.
m. that the westbound lanes of Highway 402 between Oil Heritage and Mandaumin roads were shut down.
"The road closure is expected to remain in place for an extended period while crews work to safely repair the road surface," Lambton OPP said in a release.
The extreme weather severely disrupted public holiday celebrations across London, causing local groups to call off major scheduled activities.
The Optimist Club of East London canceled its Canada Day event because the East Lions Community Centre venue was repurposed as an emergency cooling shelter.
Local authorities also chose to prioritize public safety over scheduled festivities as conditions worsened.
London police canceled a scheduled Canada Day Law Enforcement Torch Run due to the health risks.
"Due to the extreme heat forecast and out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of our athletes, law enforcement partners, volunteers, spectators, and community members, today’s Canada Day Law Enforcement Torch Run has been cancelled," police said on social media.
City officials opened only two of London's five designated cooling centers, the Stronach Community Recreation Centre and the East Lions Community Centre, on the Wednesday holiday.
No cooling centers were operational in the downtown or Old East Village areas, where the local homeless population is heavily concentrated.
