Toronto, GTA enter coldest week of winter so far with arctic air to linger for days
Posted January 15, 2024 6:20 am.
Last Updated January 15, 2024 10:39 am.
Following a warmer-than-normal start to the season, Toronto is getting its first taste of real winter air with an extended cold wave that’s expected to stick around for several days.
Morning commuters will need to bundle up with the windchill making things feel like -22 as of early Monday. The arctic air will not let up until next week.
“This cold arctic blast will stay with us for the entire week,” says CityNews 680 meteorologist Jill Taylor, adding we won’t get back above the freezing mark until after the weekend.
Toronto will see a guaranteed high of -9 C on Monday but it will stay feeling much colder throughout the day, around -17, when accounting for the wind.
Taylor is reminding anyone who needs to spend any time outdoors to wear appropriate winter layers.
“There is a moderate risk of hypothermia and frostbite if outside for long periods of time,” she says. “So bundle up today, it is a cold day.”
The rest of the week will see more of the same. Tuesday calls for flurries and a high near -8 C. Temperatures will hover around the -10 C mark for the rest of the week with daytime air slightly warmer and a colder feel at night.
Taylor says we can expect a break from the deep freeze early next week after a similarly cold weekend.
Looking ahead further, another round of frigid air is expected to settle in for the end of January and start of February.
Toronto has opened its four warming centres which provide resting spaces, meals, washroom access, and emergency shelter referrals. More information on the centres can be found here.
The freezing air may be new to Toronto this season but western Canada is finally starting to warmup after plunging into the deep freeze last week. Vancouver saw several days of record-breaking temperatures and much of the prairies have been experiencing wind chills as high as -50 C.
The current conditions and extended forecast for Toronto can be found here.
