Summer heat 'vacationing' in Canada's North

Some of the best summer days across Canada this month are north of 60, where people are basking in some relatively balmy conditions.

Afternoon temperatures in Iqaluit and parts of the Yukon have been almost 3 C warmer than normal these days, according to Environment Canada.

The daytime high in Iqaluit Wednesday reached 23.6 C, well above the normal high of 12 C, according to the weather service's website.

And in Yellowknife, the mercury finally began climbing into the mid-20s this past weekend, following weeks of cooler-than-normal temperatures.

"We have found summer and it's vacationing in the North," senior climatologist David Phillips told CBC News on Wednesday.

"I mean, from the Yukon to parts of the Northwest Territories to Nunavut, that's where summer is hanging out — much to the displeasure of Canadians in the south, where they're wondering, 'Where's the heat?' Well, the heat is in the North."

Phillips said one reason why it's been so warm in Nunavut lately is because sea surface temperatures in the eastern Arctic, including Baffin Bay, Davis Strait, Foxe Basin and the Labrador Sea, are currently well over 3 C.

All of Environment Canada's weather models indicate the warm weather will stay in much of the North over the next week or two, Phillips said.

The forecast calls for temperatures in Iqaluit, Yellowknife and Whitehorse to stay in the 20 C range well into the weekend.

While the weather in Whitehorse was slightly below normal on Wednesday, with a daytime high of 18.3 C, Environment Canada is calling for temperatures to come back to the normal of 20 C by Friday, then keep rising all weekend.

The Yukon capital may even see daytime temperatures break past 30 C early next week, according to Environment Canada's long-range forecast.