It’s the first day of spring, but when will it feel like it?
Weather experts say we shouldn’t expect warmer temperatures until April 10
After a winter that swung from mild to bone-chillingly cold and back numerous times, the news that Tuesday ushers in the first day of spring is definitely welcome. But will spring temperatures be hitting the city any time soon?
“There’s a bit of folklore that goes like this: The first day of spring is one thing, but the first spring day is another,” said Environment Canada climatologist Dave Phillips.
Phillips and Weather Network meteorologist Chris Scott may not have seen eye to eye on their predictions for last winter, but they can agree on one thing this time around: Spring is going to be slow to start.
“The calendar will say spring, but the weather’s not going to indicate that spring is bursting onto the scene anytime soon,” Scott said.
Toronto is set for a slightly chillier first day of spring than in years past, with a predicted high of 2 C and a low of -7 C, a few degrees below the average 5 C high and -4.2 C low recorded in the city since the 1940s.
It should be mainly sunny, according to Environment Canada, but just because it’s spring now doesn’t mean any sudden jump in temperature: The rest of the week looks to be hovering around the same numbers, with the highest high put at 5 C on Friday.
According to the experts, we may have a while to go before it truly feels like the seasons have crossed over.
“We were seduced, you see, by February. We had spring in February, but it was false spring. It was spring in disguise. We had temperatures that were up there, 15, 16 degrees. And then March came,” Phillips said.
“We’re going to have to be patient. You still get in Toronto 10 per cent of your annual snowfall after the first night of spring. We’ve never had spring without snow. Doesn’t mean you’re going to be buried in it … but this year, I think, we’re not rushing to spring.”
One advantage of the current chilly weather is the lack of precipitation throughout March apart from a few touches of snow, as noted by both experts.
Scott said that dry air from northern Quebec has descended upon Toronto, and that over the next few days there may be “a raw feeling in the air.”
“It’s kind of unusual to say you’ve gotta go south to see snow, on the first day of spring,” Scott said.
“But if you want to see snow, go to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You want to see snow on Wednesday, go to New York City. We’ve been very fortunate in March to miss these big snowstorms.”
We shouldn’t expect warm spring weather in the next couple of weeks either. Phillips has predicted the “10th of April” as the day to wait for before declaring wintry weather to be over.