Looking back at the wild winter that was
Posted March 20, 2019 5:25 pm.
Last Updated March 20, 2019 8:18 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Spring has finally sprung and while it may not be the warmest start to the season, at least it’s not winter — especially after the erratic and sometimes punishing few months we’ve had in Toronto and the GTA.
The region had a wild winter season with some of the coldest, snowiest and windiest days we’ve seen in years.
Here is a look back at the winter that was so we can truly appreciate the coming warmth:
Snowiest days
While December started out mild with barely any snow on the ground, January was a white out, with a whopping 33 centimetres falling over two days, to give us 38 centimetres on the ground on Jan 29.
In Toronto, the city recorded the largest single-day snowfall and the massive snow storm led to traffic and transit issues, as well as school bus cancellations and school closures.
Coldest days
January also plunged us into a deep freeze with several days of double digits lows, ending off with the coldest day this winter — minus 22.8 degrees Celcius on Jan 31.
The frigid temps caused major transit delays across the GTA, with frozen switches, doors and signals being the most common on-and-off issues.
However, the bone-chilling cold also made for some beautiful scenes over the lake as mist rose from the waters, blowing and floating over the surface.
Windiest days
The windiest days blew through in February with with gusts averaging 89 kilometres an hour on Feb 8 and 87 kilometres an hour on Feb 24 and 25.
The punishing winds on Feb 24 caused power outages, damage to trees and traffic lights. Over 280 flights were cancelled out of Pearson Airport with wind gusts of 97 kilometres an hour were recorded at the airport. Hydro One reported that at one point over 30,000 customers were without power.
Despite all the dramatic weather events this season, the winter was warmer than usual overall, as December had very few days of below zero temperatures.
Spring is expected to start off chilly, with some snow still in the forecast for the rest of March before the warm up truly begins.
Related stories:
Toronto under extreme cold warning, day after record-breaking snowfall
Deep freeze taking toll on GTA transit
Wind storm blowing through GTA
Strong winds, blowing snow threaten to wreak havoc in GTA
