Where’s the frost? Southern U.S. hits freezing before Toronto, Montreal
Toronto and Montreal have been above the freezing mark every day for almost six months
Toronto and Montreal have remained above the freezing mark every day for almost six months.
While frosts and even some snowflakes have intruded across parts of Ontario and Quebec in recent weeks, the two cities have yet to reach that magic number.
What’s even more remarkable is that a handful of communities across the southern United States have already dipped to the freezing point--and some have even seen accumulating snowfall.
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The last time we saw a freezing temperature in either Toronto or Montreal was the second-to-last week of April. Toronto hit -1.3°C early on April 20, while Montreal dipped to -2.0°C the following morning.
Our average first frost in both cities occurs right around the middle of October. But warmer-than-normal years can see this milestone slide several weeks past due.
Montreal once had to wait 207 consecutive days for its first frost, with the city’s first subfreezing temperature in 2017 waiting until Nov. 7. The latest Toronto’s had to wait to hit the zero-degree mark was Nov. 13, 2022.
Even more remarkable is that this weekend’s powerful cold front brought freezing temperatures deep into the southern half of the United States.
Travellers reported accumulating snow along North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway over the weekend. These regions are around 1500-1800 metres in elevation.
A few spots at lower elevations even reached the freezing mark. Sunday morning witnessed a low temperature of 0°C at the airport near Reidsville, North Carolina, at an elevation of 211 metres.
Numerous other communities throughout the U.S. saw readings dip to zero degrees this weekend, including Dalhart, Texas; Manhattan, Kansas; Blacksburg, Virginia; and Youngstown, Ohio.
Given the pattern expected to dominate the eastern half of Canada over the next week, we might have to wait a while longer for a freezing temperature in Toronto. Montreal may have the opportunity to dip to or below 0°C by Friday night.