What to know
- Environment Canada says a significant warmup will begin Tuesday, with above-normal temperatures expected through the rest of the week.
- Highs could reach 11 C this weekend, marking the first double-digit temperatures in the Toronto area since early January.
- Warmer-than-seasonal conditions may continue into early next week before returning to more typical mid-March temperatures.
- Forecasters warn another blast of Arctic air is possible later this month, and some areas could see freezing rain and showers in the days ahead.
With less than three weeks until spring, milder, spring-like weather may already be on the way. Environment Canada is forecasting double-digit temperatures across the region later this week.
The week begins on a chilly note, with daytime highs hovering around –5 C. However, the national weather agency says a significant warmup is expected starting Tuesday, continuing through the rest of the week.
“We’re actually expecting above-normal temperatures to start. Daytime highs on Tuesday are expected to be about five degrees. The normal high for this time of year in the Toronto area is two degrees,” Geoff Coulson, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, told Now Toronto.
Coulson says temperatures could climb as high as 11 C on both Saturday and Sunday, potentially marking some of the warmest days of the year so far.
“That would be the first double-digit temperatures on the plus side that we’ve experienced in the Toronto area since Jan. 9, when we got up to 15.2 C,” he said.
According to Coulson, the mild pattern isn’t expected to disappear immediately. Warmer-than-normal conditions could persist into early next week.
“Based on the models I’ve looked at, it appears warmer-than-normal temperatures will continue through the start of next week, with a return to more seasonal values perhaps around the middle of the month,” he said.
The warmer forecast follows comments from local meteorologist Anthony Farnell, who drew attention online last week after suggesting temperatures could climb to 20 C on March 11.
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While those numbers are not currently reflected in Environment Canada’s forecast, Coulson cautioned against getting too excited, noting that cooler air could return later in the month.
“There are some indications we could get another blast of Arctic air, dropping temperatures below seasonal values and bringing the potential for some messy weather as well,” he said.
As for that messy weather, Coulson says parts of the Golden Horseshoe could see freezing rain on Tuesday. Later in the week, areas including Toronto can expect showers from Thursday through Saturday.
