The first weekend of fall will feel like the middle of summer in Ottawa.

Fall officially arrives at 4:02 p.m. this afternoon.

Environment Canada is calling for a high of 27C today. The record high for September 22 in Ottawa is 29.4C. The weekend forecast calls for sunshine Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures reaching 30C. The normal temperature for the first weekend of fall in Ottawa is 18C.

Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips tells CTV Morning Live “this is nature’s attempt to try to make up for a bummer of a summer.”   Phillips adds these are temperatures Ottawa normally sees in the “dog days of summer” in late July and early August.

The City of Ottawa says the majority of splash pads will re-open this weekend for residents to cool off. In a statement, the city announced “as a result of the beautiful weather we have been experiencing, the splash pad season has been extended.”

Ottawa’s public beaches remain closed for the season.

Phillips says Environment Canada thinks this will be a “gorgeous fall” in Ottawa, adding above seasonal temperatures will continue into late October and early November.

Ottawa saw record rainfall levels in May and July.  A record 249.8 mm of rain fell at the Ottawa Airport in July.