Taylor Parsons
Just when Torontonians were pulling out their spring jackets to celebrate this week’s balmy above-freezing temperatures, winter is rearing its head for (hopefully) one last time.
Residents of southern Ontario should also savour Tuesday’s weather while they can. With a high of 8 C, the temperature is the highest of the year so far.
Environment Canada Meteorologist Geoff Coulson told Humber News on Tuesday that a storm bringing 10-15cm of snow is expected, accompanied by winds of 60 kilometres-per-hour, and a temperature of -7 C.
And, the cold is part of a trend that will continue, he told @Humber Radio reporter Frank Boetang.
“Unfortunately at this point, it looks like the trend we’ve seen this winter for colder than normal conditions is forecasted to continue right through the rest of March and even to the first part of April,” Environment Canada Meteorologist Geoff Coulson said.
Environment Canada has issued a winter storm warning for the Niagara Region and areas surrounding Lake Ontario as winter storm, which has been dubbed Vulcan by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, warps into Canada.
“Temperatures will drop below freezing in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, as the main pulse of precipitations moves in from the U.S. Midwest,” said Weather Network’s chief meteorologist Chris Scott, in a press release.
Woodbine station by Shawn Micallef for Spacing magazine, via Flickr
In Toronto, 10-15cm of snow is expected, accompanied by winds of 60 kilometres-per-hour, and a temperature of -7 C.
Snow will fall heavier further east. In Niagara, Kingston, and Cornwall, snow could fall as high as 25 centimetres .
The storm will be hitting a mere eight days before the first day of Spring, causing some Humber students to feel frustrated.
Students told Humber News how they feel about the approaching storm
Toronto residents also took to Twitter to vent their frustration.
It’s march break and there’s a snow storm headed for Toronto … Come on will this ever end, spring where are u already?
— emilia (@parseley) March 10, 2014
#enoughalready RT@CityNews: Winter storm warning for Niagara Falls, Welland, St. Catharines, and Grimsby. Snow in Toronto & GTA on Weds.
— J.H (@showmeyrtwittie) March 11, 2014
I don’t know why they’re calling this Winter Storm Vulcan because a foot+ of snow in March is CLEARLY ILLOGICAL.
— EnsignChesleyCrusher (@akachela) March 11, 2014
The storm also poses problems for the city budget.
The heavy winter is Toronto’s coldest in 20 years, and has caused the city to overspend copious amounts in snow and ice removal. Last year, Toronto overspent it’s snow removal budget by nearly $2 million, and has already spent half of it’s 2014 budget in the first two months alone.
In Markham, the $6-million budget for 2014 snow removal is already spent.
“We don’t have any money left for [2014] fall storms,” Gord Landon, Markham regional councillor, told the National Post. “This has been the coldest winter in a long time.”
After the storm passes, the weather will remain sporadic. Thursday will see temperatures as low as -8 C, while Friday will warm to 5 C, before once again falling into sub-zero temperatures as low as -7 C by Monday.