Feeling like February? Dramatic temperature swing expected in southern Ontario Tuesday

Monday, April 14, 2014, 6:46 AM -

Winter and spring continue to battle it out as a slow moving system pushes across southern Ontario and Quebec.

"It was the warmest day of the year for many parts of southern Ontario on Sunday, with temperatures into the mid 20s," says Weather Network meteorologist Gina Ressler. "Monday will be another warm day for southern Ontario and Quebec, but a cold front will advance through the day bringing rain and possible thunderstorms."

According to Ressler, the warm air will likely become unstable enough to spark showers and thunderstorm activity through Monday.

"It is difficult to pinpoint the exact location and timing of thunderstorms, due to their mesoscale and convective nature," Ressler adds.

Monday night through Tuesday morning however, will be a completely different story as very cold air arrives changing any rain to snow.

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"A vigorous cold front will sweep across the region changing the rain briefly over to wet snow before clearing," Ressler says.

Snowfall accumulation in southern Ontario is not expected to be significant with less than 5 cm likely in the Greater Toronto Area.

The heaviest snow is expected in parts of northern Ontario, where snowfall warnings have been issued with up to 20 cm possible.

"More notable will be the drastic drop in temperatures behind the cold front, with afternoon highs on Tuesday more reminiscent of late February than April," Ressler warns.

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Gusty winds are also expected across the region Monday afternoon and evening, ahead and along the cold front.

Be sure to check back as we continue to monitor this system. For a list of watches and warnings, visit our Alerts page.