Rising temperatures to bring falling snow

A man's breath is lit by the setting sun while skating on a cold afternoon in Toronto on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011.(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese)

 

Toronto’s deep freeze is set to end by Monday evening.

 

The last of the extreme cold the city experienced over the weekend will gradually lift as newer, smaller weather systems are ushered in for the rest of the week.

Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips estimates that temperatures will reach highs of 0 to -2C on Wednesday and -5C on Thursday.

“This is the week the temperatures bottom out and they begin to rise upwards slowly…for the duration of winter,” said Phillips, adding that temperatures won’t drop back into the double digits.

But that reprieve in the cold comes with a downside: more snow.

 “Currently there is some snow over Lake Ontario,” says Ria Alsen, meteorologist for Environment Canada, first thing Monday morning.

“Right now it’s sitting just over the lake hitting Toronto Island.”

Alsen warns the snow could push over the lake and if it does, it may be heavy at times.

“It’s a question of how much inland this burst of snow will come,” says Alsen.

If it does come inland, it will hit the city either late Monday morning or early afternoon with the possibility of 5 cm falling in and around the GTA.

The flurries at times may be heavy and higher amounts are possible if the lake effect band moves slowly across the city.

Visibility may be severely reduced to near zero at times in heavy flurries.

 “The rest of the week will be rather uneventful, it won’t get as cold as it has been,” says Alsen. “We might see some flurries but no major systems are expected.”

The past weekend saw the coldest moment of winter thus far, said Phillips, with temperatures dropping to -33C with the wind chill.

-- Hayley Kelman, Staff Reporter

Comments

[Jimmy Neutron]

Deep freeze, come on. It gets a bit cold and people freak out. This ridiculous over reaction to normal weather is comical.

[Lenny]

Jimmy Neutron wrote:

"Deep freeze, come on. It gets a bit cold and people freak out. This ridiculous over reaction to normal weather is comical."

I 100% agree with you Jimmy! Not only do I think people overreact -- I love this weather. The air is so crisp, fresh and clear. Wear layers people, and stop cranking the heat to make yourself comfortable in winter. Wear a sweater!

[Dee]

Not everyone is sitting at home curled up under a blanket. Some people have jobs and you can't wear un-chic clothing to work. Nor can you control the heat there.

Plus it wouldn't be cold "extreme", if it fell under the normal range for Toronto. We get it. You're a tough guy.

[Anthony]

Its Canada eh, get used to it already. Snow is a good thing, get out on a ski hill for some fresh air and fun instead of sitting inside complaining about the cold weather that "surprises" us every year from Dec-March.
Here's a tip, next year at this time it will be cold again and it will snow.

[Jane]

what about the homelss people and stray animals?? It ain't easy for everyone and every thing!!

[Dennis]

I was a fan of winter when I lived in Ottawa and was able to ski in Quebec twice per week. However, I find that in the GTA winter is a nuisance. The closest skiing is Blue Mountain and its mediocre compared to most ski areas. There is not enough snow for cross-country skiing. The snow and cold are wasted on us. But winter is bad enough to stop me from playing golf and riding my bike. THe worst of both worlds.