Toronto appears to have broken a 50-year-old temperature record today
Posted March 4, 2024 8:12 am.
Last Updated March 4, 2024 5:30 pm.
The abnormally warm start to March in Toronto hit a scorching new high on Monday, appearing to topple a 50-year-old weather record.
The previous record high to beat was 13.3 C set back on March 4, 1974.
Temperatures hit a high of 16 C at Pearson Airport as of 4 p.m. on Monday, comfortably beating the old mark.
That record, however, remains unofficial at this point.
The double-digit highs will continue into Tuesday before cooler air returns mid-week.
Despite the cooldown it is still expected to remain above seasonal into next weekend.
Tuesday could see a high of 16 C, with cloudy skies with periods of light rain. That expected high will still fall short of the record at Pearson for a March 5 — 18.5 C set in 2004.
A slight cooldown will come for Wednesday with showers in the forecast, but a high near 8 C will still be much warmer than average. The average high in Toronto around this time of year is 2 C.
Thursday and Friday will see similar above seasonal daytime highs around 7 C and 6 C. Rain is expected overnight Friday into Saturday morning.
Taylor says the city could see some flurries on the weekend when there is a brief dip in the temperature, but there is no extended stretch of winter in the near future.
“Are we in the clear as far as winter weather goes? It will stay mild for the rest of March, at least it’s looking that way,” she says.
Clocks ‘spring ahead’ this weekend
The clocks spring forward this weekend which means one less hour of sleep Saturday night into Sunday morning. Daylight saving time officially begins at 2 a.m. Sunday.
The official start of spring comes on March 19.
According to the Weather Network’s latest outlook, much of Canada can expect a warmer-than-normal spring, but should also brace for the season’s “profound mood swings.”
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