Temperature in Toronto appears to have broken a 50-year-old record

Toronto appears to have broken a 50-year-old temperature record for March 4 as the mercury has climbed to almost 16 C.

According to Environment Canada, it was 13.6 C at Pearson International Airport as of 2 p.m. and 15.9 C as of 4 p.m.

The unseasonably warm weather came a little earlier than expected as forecasters called for the temperature to enter record-breaking territory at around 3 p.m., when it was expected to hit 13 C.

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The warmest March 4 on record was back in 1974, when the temperature reached 13.3 C.

“After some patchy morning fog clears, we’ll get a mix of sun and clouds and very spring-like temps today,” CP24 Meteorologist Bill Coulter said on Monday morning.

Last month, the city broke at least two decades-old temperature records: one on Feb. 9 when the mercury rose to 15.1 C and again on Feb. 28 when it hit 16.1 C.

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Temperatures will drop into the evening with partly cloudy skies and a low of 6 C. The seasonal low for March 4 is -7.2 C.

Tuesday will bring with it a chance of afternoon showers but also another warm early-March day with temperatures forecast to hit 16 C.