Get out your sunscreen! Summer-like temperatures expected this week

Put away those parkas and get out your summer gear.

Waterloo region hit 18 degrees Celsius on Monday and that double-digit trend will continue.

Environment Canada said it’s going to get even hotter by the end of the week.

In fact, the agency said southern Ontario will be Canada’s hot spot.

The jet stream is pushing a warm air mass into the province.

Temperatures are expected to hit the mid-20s on both Thursday and Friday, potentially reaching record-breaking highs.

Comfortable overnight lows are expected as well, with temperatures well above the freezing mark.

Environment Canada said southern Ontario will also get plenty of sunshine this week, with blue skies and minimal cloud cover.

That could end by the weekend, as another system moves into southwestern Ontario.

The agency said temperatures will cool down with a chance of showers Saturday night and into Sunday.

However, one Environment Canada weather expert that the coming cool down following the warm up in the area will pose some risk.

"It doesn't have to be a tornado," said Dave Colvin, certified emergency manager and weather watcher for the agency. "It's time to start switching your thinking from snow squalls and blizzards to summer storms, lightning, being prepared for that, and if you're out camping, for instance, know where you are and being able to communicate where you are if you do need assistance."

WELCOMING THE WARM WEATHER

Monday was a busy one for many local businesses.

People were soaking up the sunshine on golf courses, patios and ice cream shops.

Ethel’s Lounge in Uptown Waterloo said they were ready for the sudden change to summer temperatures.

“We are really excited,” said server Alex Lebouthilier. “We get to wear our shorts again to work. It’s going to be fun. The energy in the summertime is really good here. We are going to be really busy. It will be nice.”

The crowd arrived early at Ethel’s.

“I showed up at noon and the patio was already full,” Lebouthilier added. “It didn’t take long at all.”

The patio outside Ethel's Lounge in Waterloo, Ont. on April 10, 2023.

Across the street at Kentucky Bourbon and Barbecue, staff scrambled to get the restaurant’s patio ready for customers by their 5 p.m. opening.

“It caught us a little off guard,” said manager Adam Cole. “We spent the day cleaning everything, getting ready.”

The restaurant is also expecting a busy spring and summer.

“We are starting to ramp up with staff,” explained Cole. “We hired 20 to 30 more servers, so we go from 20 tables to 70 tables. It’s a huge jump for us and means a lot to the business.”

For sports enthusiasts, the allure of an early April round of golf was just too good to pass up.

“The weather is perfect for being outside,” said one golfer at the Merry-Hill Golf Club in Breslau. “It’s just a nice walk.”

Brookfield Golf Club in Cambridge and Conestoga Golf Club in Conestogo were also full Monday.

Golfers at the Merry-Hill Golf Club in Breslau, Ont. on April 10, 2023. (Dave Pettitt/CTV News Kitchener)

Some people pulled their bicycles out of storage for an afternoon ride.

“It’s so great to get out the first time you can,” said one rider who was out cycling with his son. “You can kind of connect with people, see people. I think I saw my neighbour for the first time after a year.”

ICE CREAM ON THE MENU

As temperatures rise across the region, local ice cream shops are ready for the summer-like conditions.

Ice Cream 2 in Kitchener has been opened for over an week and is expecting big crowds in the coming days.

Serving up cool treats at Ice Cream 2 in Kitchener, Ont. (April 9, 2023)

"We make our own funnel cake batter, so we'll make more batter, more brownies, more pastries," said employee Kyla McCormick. "We'll make sure everything is prepped and ready to go."

Lines were forming shortly after the shop opened on Sunday.

"We were just at the park and refused to go home," one customer said. "So we saw this place was open and came for ice cream."

A young girl eats ice cream in Kitchener, Ont. on April 9, 2023.

HOT SUMMER AHEAD?

The Farmers' Almanac is predicting a hot summer with higher-than usual precipitation.

MORE: Parts of Ontario could hit 25 C this week in potentially record-breaking forecast

Environment Canada will release its own forecast in May, however senior climatologist Dave Phillips told CP24 in March that it could be a warmer-than-normal summer for most of this country this year.

-- With reporting from Jeff Pickel and CTV Toronto