Heat warnings now covering much of northern Ontario should ease by the weekend.
The system that has brought warm air to the region is poised to meet with a cooler one that could lead to thunderstorm activity.
The system bringing the warm air is meeting with a cooler air mass that could lead to thunderstorm activity.
Environment Canada Meteorologist Simon Legault says that activity brings lightning and the potential of more forest fires.
"If it is an area that is quite dry and it doesn't receive any good amount of precipitation at the same time of the thunderstorm, because thunderstrike could fall outside or just not under directly under the cloud of the thunderstorm, that could hit a dry area and not receive any precipitation at all, or very much less precipitation. So that could generate a new fire," says Legault.
He predicts there could be some good news for forest firefighters next week.
"Maybe at the start of next week, there's going to be a significant amount of rain coming in, and they could fall in the most impacted region where the wildfires are the strongest. So northern Ontario and northern Quebec could receive good amounts of rain. They probably won't be extinguishing the fires, but they will help surely to battle those fires."
Legault says there should also be a shift in the smoke from the forest fires in northern Ontario and Quebec, moving it in a more easterly direction.
