Toronto enjoyed its third consecutive day with a high in excess of 18 degrees Celsius, and winter hadn't officially ended yet.
As of 4 p.m. Friday at the Pearson International Airport weather station, the temperature was 18.7 C. The last time the city strung together such a warm spell was between Sept. 26 and 28, 2009.
Not only that, we set a temperature record, with the previous high for this date being 14.2 C in 1986.
If you turned the clock back one year, Toronto hit 4.3 C on this day in 2009. That is essentially the seasonal value, with the average temperature being 4.7 C.
Still not good enough? Toronto hasn't seen a trace of snow yet this month, which is another record. The city usually gets 19 centimetres of snow this month.
However, the good weather news wasn't reserved just for the GTA. New warmth records were set in:
- London - 17.6 C (16.1 C, 1945)
- Hamilton - 16.2 C (13.9 C, 2005)
- Peterborough - 15.7 C (3.3 C, 2005)
- Parry Sound - 10.6 C (6.4 C, 2005)
- Niagara Falls - 16 C (15.4 C, 1986)
As of 1:22 p.m. on Saturday, spring will have officially arrived. It will mean the end of a winter that has been about 4 C warmer than average and about 22 per cent drier, said CTV Toronto weather anchor Tom Brown.
Unfortunately, the beach volley and barbecuing weather is at an end for now. A cold front is moving in. Saturday looks to be a cloudy day with sunny periods and a high of 9 C, with a chance of flurries on Saturday night. On Sunday, there will be a mix of sun and cloud, and a high of 5 C.
The rain -- about 10 to 15 millimetres -- returns on Monday, with a high of 6 C, but we should be back in double digits by Tuesday.
If you're thinking of doing some spring skiing, Brown said most of the hills in the Barrie-Collingwood area are offering some good conditions.
