Warm, sunny weather expected for Ontario municipal election day

Voters across southern Ontario can expect warm and pleasant weather for municipal elections on Monday, Oct. 26. Environment and Climate Change Canada forecasts a mix of sun and cloud throughout the day, with temperatures well above seasonal norms. A cold front moving into the region may bring a slight chance of showers but is not expected to disrupt travel to polling stations. Eligible electors have until 8 p.m. to cast their ballots.

"It’s quite a beautiful day for most of southern Ontario for election day," said Environment Canada warning preparedness meteorologist Monica Vaswani. The main weather feature is a cold front arriving from northern Ontario late Monday morning and moving into the south during the afternoon. Vaswani noted the front could bring a 30 per cent chance of showers to areas including the Greater Toronto Area, Durham Region, Peterborough and the Ottawa Valley. Despite the chance of rain, Vaswani said the weather should not cause problems for voters. "It’s really not anything that should be causing people to have issues getting to the polls weather-wise," she said. "It will probably just be the cloud cover that’s more noticeable, really." She added the day would feature a mix of sun and cloud after the front passes.

Temperatures will be notably warm for late October, especially in southwestern Ontario. Windsor is forecast to reach 19 C, London 18 C and Toronto 18 C, all several degrees above their normal highs of around 12 C to 13 C. "Places that will see mostly sun, so anywhere from Windsor to the GTA, they’re looking at temperatures above seasonal, similar to what we’ve been experiencing," Vaswani said. Cottage country north of Georgian Bay will be cooler and cloudier as the front arrives first in that region. North Bay is expected to see a high of only 8 C on Monday. "If you’re in cottage country and north of Georgian Bay, you’re going to be a little on the cooler and cloudy side," Vaswani said. "It’s still overall pretty good weather to go out and vote." The front is not anticipated to bring strong winds, though it may be breezy as it passes. Evening temperatures will drop after sunset, feeling colder for any last-minute voters. Ottawa's overnight low is forecast to be 2 C, closer to seasonal norms. Windsor will dip to 9 C, while the Greater Toronto Area will see overnight lows around 5 or 6 C. Environment Canada recommends the public check weather.gc.ca or use the WeatherCAN app for the latest forecasts.

With files from Inside Halton