'It's never been this warm, this late, this long': Hamilton heat streak ends

A few scattered raindrops in Hamilton on Wednesday afternoon and approaching cooler air marked the end of a long, unprecedented hot and dry stretch that tested the patience of even the most enthusiastic summer-lovers.

"It's never been this warm, this late, this long," said Geoff Coulson, an Environment Canada warning preparedness meteorologist.

There were four single-day records set in the last week – Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday – "which is pretty unusual," he said.

Those four days of temperatures that broke the 30-degree mark have never occurred this late in September, according to records going back to 1960 from Hamilton's John C. Munro International Airport.

"We finally got a weather pattern that we would have normally expected to get in July and August," Coulson said.

Coulson was amused that Mother Nature appeared to give a dose of hot weather to those complaining about a wet, chilly summer right at the beginning of autumn, which officially began last Friday afternoon.

"That was the gunshot that started this heatwave," he said.

The warm, dry stretch could have an effect on how brilliant the fall colours will be.

Without any moisture in the air and the cool nights typical in autumn, the bright reds and oranges will be more likely to be duller orange and brown.

"You're probably going to be seeing much more drab foliage and that's not exactly what we get in our cars to look at on the weekend," Danielle Way, assistant biology professor at Western University, told CBC London earlier this week.

Coulson said Hamilton can expect some rain showers on Friday, and somewhat more seasonal temperatures going into the weekend.

But he said early indications show temperatures bouncing up again in the middle of next week – reaching the mid-20s is possible, which is well above the normal 18 C or so for this time of year.