Winter and spring do battle in Ontario with snow for some, 15°C for others
From double-digit warmth in the south to double-digit centimetres of snowfall in the north -- the ultimate seasonal divide will take hold of Ontario this week.
All eyes are on the soaring temperatures across southern Ontario this week, with a surge of the mildest air so far this year.
A strong southerly flow ahead of an incoming Colorado low is what will give the large bump in temperatures across the south.
By Wednesday, some places could see double-digit daytime highs approaching the mid-teens. While we likely won't break monthly high temperature records with this, daily high temperature records are possible for some, including Toronto.
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Double-digit snowfall in the north
The rare February warmth won't cover the entire province, however, with quite the seasonal divide between double-digit temperatures and double-digit snowfall totals.
The Colorado low is taking a northerly track and will spread a swath of 5-15+ cm of snow across parts of northern Ontario through Wednesday.
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While residents in southern Ontario bask in a the spring-like conditions, northern Ontario will not only be battling heavy snow, but temperatures in the -20s as well.
Pleasant spring weather will be short lived
A secondary low late week, however, will track into the region providing more typical wintry weather to areas in the south.
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"While this Texas low will have some milder air associated with it, the track of the low could bring in a messy mix of rain, ice and snow across central and southern Ontario late Thursday night and into Friday," says Kelly Sonnenburg, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.
The ultimate track of this system will impact precipitation types and amounts.
Behind this system, temperatures will also temporarily tumble to subfreezing values leading to a chilly start to the Family Day long weekend.
Will there be much left of winter?
Despite this week's extreme warmth, it would be naive to think that's it for the snow and cold across southern Ontario. Based on the monthly high temperature records for February, it is very common to see a brief tease of spring-like weather in February, with winter weather typically lingering well into March, and sometimes even April.
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The pattern through the remainder of February highlights an active storm track across the Great Lakes, meaning swings in temperatures will continue, and messy wintry weather is also a guarantee as well.
Be sure to check back for the latest updates on the weather across Ontario.