While people across the GTA may be hoping for the cold winter weather to end, a climatologist told Humber News that won’t be coming any time soon.
David Phillips of Environment Canada said Toronto will continue to be thrown into waves of cold weather for the coming weeks.
Saturday’s weather alert witnessed a low of -10 C, which is 10 degrees colder than normal. Senior climatologist for Weather Canada, Phillips said.
“Normally, Toronto gets about 25 per cent of our annual snowfall occurring after this date,” he said.
“So we’ll be shovelling and plowing and pushing in late February into March, we sometimes even get it in April. You can’t write the final chapter on winter,” said Phillips.
Phillips notes that what Toronto is experiencing is typical when approaching the conclusion of winter.
That means we will see a rotation between spring-like days just to be thrown right back into the bitter cold.
“It’s a bit of a teaser, almost like sampling a buffet,” added Phillips.
While the week has started very cold, flurries are expected Wednesday with a warm 8 C and rain. Then there will be a return to cold temperatures Friday and a break of warmth over the weekend.
Phillips said people should be happy that they’re seeing upcoming 8 C weather on both Wednesday and Thursday – calling it the intermission between cold steps.
“It’s a kind of three steps forward and two steps back kind of situation,” said Phillips.
An end to winter is not a black and white prediction, Phillips said.
“We want it, we wish for it, we pray for it, we hope for it, that the winter is behind us totally and spring and everything warm is upwards,” he said.
“But it doesn’t happen that way. I mean, the reality is that nature is in control, whatever we want, she doesn’t care.”