The numbers are in: February was Toronto's warmest-ever
Digital Reporter
Tuesday, February 28, 2017, 8:31 PM - For the depths of winter, February was certainly kind to people in southern Ontario, with no shortage of days above zero -- and even a few with temperatures in the teens.
The month saw the full of numerous temperature records -- Windsor in particularly came very close to cracking 20oC last week -- and now that the sun has set on the last day of the month, the seasonal average is in, and Toronto, at least, has experienced its warmest-ever February since records began.
Tuesday's high of 9.3oC brought the monthly average to 3.48oC, but even before that, February 2017's new crown was already secured, narrowly edging out 1998 as the warmest on record.
#Toronto #YYZ - warmest February on record this year. Here are the rankings based on max temp & mean temp. 28th isn't over but place is set. pic.twitter.com/vtf1fLhTjS
— Dayna Vettese (@daynavettese) February 28, 2017
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As for March, it starts off with a similar surge of warmth, with Wednesday's high temperatures forecast to reach into the mid teens for many communities.
However, March is still winter, and the season will reassert itself somewhat with a drastic fall in temperatures down to near-zero as the afternoon and evening wears on. That will be partly the effect of a Colorado low that was set to begin affecting the province with rain overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning. In northern Ontario, there were even snowfall and winter storm warnings in effect Tuesday night, looking ahead to Wednesday.
Looking ahead, a weak clipper is forecast to bring 2-4 cm of snow to southern Ontario Thursday night into Friday as winter makes a comeback.
"Warm front delayed by a day -- does not arrive until Sunday. Sunday will still be chilly in the GTA, with a period of snow changing to rain before ending," adds The Weather Network's Dr. Doug Gillham. "Remarkable range in temperatures across southern Ontario with the front -- European model shows high of 15oC for Windsor versus minus 1oC for Toronto."
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