NO SPRING IN HER STEP
It should’ve come as no surprise when February showed its true colours on Wednesday — white on grey with slushy brown patches, that is, and clearly in evidence on this stretch of James Street North. Spectator reporter Jon Wells reports on A4 that if the opening round of the Masters is your harbinger of spring, it’s not far off. For the rest of us, find the latest weather news, cancellations, closures and updates at thespec.com.
Admit it: nutty springtime thoughts creeped into your head on sunny, balmy Monday.
You might have even flipped the calendar and counted the days to round one of The Masters (44!).
And then winter responded with a frigid and snowy slap of a reminder that this is, after all, February.
“We were lulled into a false sense of security, but winter hasn’t gone away yet,” said Peter Kimbell, a meteorologist with Environment Canada. “We are back to reality.”
But reality doesn’t stay in one spot for long at this time of year.
About 15 cm of snow was forecast to accumulate by Thursday morning, but that’s where it should end.
The greater risk Thursday into Friday, Kimbell said, is for blowing snow or squalls to pop up for 20 minutes at a time that could impact driving visibility, although he suggested the risk is not high since Hamilton does not fall within the “squall belt” influenced by the Great Lakes.
What is certain is that temperatures will drop to unseasonably wintry double-digit wind chill levels Thursday through Saturday — but will begin warming up Sunday into next week, when rain is forecast.
When asked to spitball the weather outlook for March, Kimbell said long-term forecast models aren’t accurate enough to give an informed prediction.