Watch for falling temperatures...

Monday morning’s balmy weather won’t last long in the GTA — the forecast calls for freezing temperatures coupled with winds travelling at 70 km/h by this afternoon.

North of the GTA, several flash freeze warnings were issued for areas such as Dufferin, Orillia, Barrie and Parry Sound.

Geoff Coulson, Environment Canada’s warning preparedness meteorologist, said the weather agency will only issue the warning in the GTA if the frigid temperatures start while it rains.

Flash freezing occurs when a cold front moves in after snow or rainfall, resulting in freezing rain or snow. This can result in slippery and dangerous road conditions.

Coulson said the showers should taper off by 1 p.m. and the gusty winds may dry roads and sidewalks before the freezing temperatures hit the city at about 2 or 3 p.m.

“But the rapid drop in temperatures in the afternoon could still make for icy conditions,” said Coulson, warning Toronto commuters.

By the afternoon commute, the mercury will dip to -5 C and continue to drop, reaching -13 C Monday night.

The cold snap will continue for most of the week, but we will have a high of 13 C on Friday with showers and then dip down to -2 C on Saturday.

But the double-digit positive temperatures will not last long, as the weather will fall back to more seasonal temperatures with a high of -2 C on Saturday.

Coulson said this is normal this time of year because of “the push-and-pull effect that radically impacts the weather as cold winds from the north and warmer air masses south of the Great Lakes battle each other,” he said.

This should continue for the next several weeks, right until spring, he added.

 

--Daniela Germano, Staff Reporter