End To Long And Brutal Cold Spell Finally In Sight
Posted March 8, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
After the coldest February in nearly three decades and a brutal start to March, it’s almost over.
The GTA’s seemingly endless run of terrible winter weather that’s brought us whiteouts on the roads, hydro problems in our homes and ice on the CN Tower is finally going to break.
Forecasters are predicting another cold day Thursday and temperatures just above the freezing mark for Friday.
And then comes the weekend.
If what the prognosticators say is true, we could not only be back to normal, but well above it by next week.
Temperatures are expected to climb to the 5 and 6 degree range by Saturday and Sunday and there’s even a possibility we could reach 10C in the days that follow.
It’s perfect timing – March Break starts for many kids next week.
The last time Toronto hit the double digits wasn’t all that long ago, although it sure seems like it. It was January 5th, when the mercury soared to a record shattering high of 11C.
That capped off what experts have called the warmest January ever recorded.
Which is what made February such a terrible surprise.
The city was forced to call several Extreme Cold Weather Alerts to protect the homeless and wind chill warnings were frequent, as readings reached a teeth chattering -30 at times.
But now the turnaround finally appears at hand. And that hand won’t come with the risk of frostbite
The better weather brings with it the dangers of a big meltdown, so you’ll want to keep kids and pets away from creeks and streams as the warm-up begins.
But that big pile of snow on your lawn and all that ice frozen to your driveway should gradually start to disappear.
Does this mean spring has finally sprung? It’s impossible to say for sure. March is always filled with surprises, and the months that follow can be, too.
A few years ago, the city experienced a big snowstorm that came at the last time anyone would have expected: May 24th, 2002, the Victoria Day holiday weekend – the traditional start to summer.
To see the forecast and the current conditions, click here.
