The troubling trend of hotter summers

Dan Rolph - Exeter Examiner Editor

By Dan Rolph

We are now officially in the summer season.

Summer brings with it beach days, times at the cottage with friends and family and plenty of community events taking advantage of the season when the landscape isn’t covered by mounds of snow.

That is, however, when the weather permits it, because these days it seems that we’re getting fewer moments to enjoy time outside as we’re forced to retreat indoors to the solace that air conditioning provides.

As I write this editorial, I am looking at a forecast filled with sweltering heat and warnings from Environment Canada telling Canadians to stay indoors and avoid extended periods in the sun. My news feed is filled with stories about a “Super” El Niño brewing over the Pacific and a heat dome in the U.S. that will push extreme heat into Canada.

These extreme weather stories are becoming commonplace, and talk of record-breaking summers has seemingly turned into an annual tradition. At the beginning of 2026, Environment Canada predicted that this year would be amongst the hottest on record, and we’re now in the midst of feeling that reality every time we step out the front door and gasp at the sudden wave of heat.

The trend that we’re seeing is clear. Our environment is warming, and it doesn’t look like we are on a trajectory that will put an end to that and reverse course any time soon.

From 1949 to 2024, the average annual temperature in Canada increased by 2.4 C. Locally, temperatures are expected to climb by 4 C by 2050 in Huron County. The county’s Corporate Climate Change Adaptation Plan estimates that the increase will leave us with more than an extra month’s worth of days over 30 C in a single year.

However, I think talking about climate change in numbers often fails to illustrate the looming impacts of what we are facing.

So, what do those rising temperatures mean to us?

They mean that the things we love most about summer become less possible as we navigate the heat. A day on the beach can already be a challenge when we are battling extreme heat, but that heat alone is just part of the equation.

With higher temperatures, we can expect longer dry periods and more intense storms when they roll in off Lake Huron. We will also be more likely to see days where the air becomes difficult to breathe as intensifying wildfire seasons cloud our skies with smoke.

These are everyday, real and quantifiable things that we are seeing before our eyes. They are things that are already having a noticeable impact on our lives as we plan around the heat, watch the forecast more closely and sometimes give up on the summer moments we had been looking forward to.

It is easy to look toward the future of our climate, both locally and globally, and fall down the rabbit hole of doom and gloom as we see the daunting realities ahead of us. But even though it is vital for us to recognize the impact of a changing climate, giving in to despair cannot be our only response.

If hotter summers are already changing the way we live, then perhaps they should also remind us not to take the good days for granted. When the weather gives us a break, we should be doing everything we can to make the most of it.