Abrupt end to April spoils, one shot left at 20 C before dip
Meteorologist, PhD
Tuesday, April 18, 2017, 6:40 AM - In 2016 we had to wait until April 17 for the first 20-degree day of the month (although we reached 20 C on March 9) and subsequently reached 20 degrees just twice during that entire month.
This year, however, it may be a while before we add to our 20-degree day totals in April, which already stands at five. Cooler than normal temperatures will dominate for the next 10 days with Wednesday (April 19) being the only day that Toronto will approach 20 degrees.
The story of April 2017
April has been a couple degrees warmer than normal so far across southern Ontario including the Greater Toronto Area. As already mentioned, the temperature at Pearson Airport has already exceeded 20 C on five different days. Typically, the temperature reaches 20 C just three times during the entire month of April. With the warm weather, spring vegetation is ahead of schedule and apricot blossoms are already blooming in in Niagara.
The key to whether we reach 20 C on Wednesday will be the timing of afternoon clearing after a period of showers earlier in the day. If we get enough afternoon sunshine, temperatures will readily reach 20 C before cooler weather arrives for the rest of the week. However, if clouds linger well into the afternoon, we will only reach the mid to upper teens as indicated by our current forecast.
Thursday will be a soggy day across southern Ontario, and with a raw east wind off Lake Ontario, temperatures will not even reach the double digits. The rain will even mix with wet snow across the higher elevations of the Dundalk Highlands and parts of Cottage Country.
Near to below seasonal temperatures will continue through the weekend and well into next week. Currently, the “normal” high at Pearson is 12 C. Seasonal does not reach 20 C until around May 20.
A look ahead
At this point it looks like warmer weather could return late next week as we head towards the final weekend of April, but it is too early to know if that will bring any 20-degree days to the GTA.
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