Summer returns for a brief encore
Shorts, sandals and skirts were back in force for one fleeting day on Tuesday, as summer made a brief, welcome return to the streets of Toronto.
The air was unseasonably balmy, peaking at about 25 C, and though it was windy and overcast at times, people still ditched boots, pants and jackets and took advantage however they could.
“Can’t get enough of the weather,” said Kathrin Best, as she relaxed in a Muskoka chair at Sugar Beach with her 2-year-old daughter Piper. “It’s middle of October and you can sit outside. It’s just beautiful.”
A glance at the crowds on the streets suggests the warmth took many people by surprise — some were still bundled up out of habit, while others embraced the forecast, wearing their summer clothes as leaves littered the sidewalks. Even those autumn leaves may have changed their look in deference to the mercury — Environment Canada meteorologist Alyssa Young said that without the cool nights, the autumn colours can be subdued until later in the year.
Young’s department had forecasted a high of 27 C for Tuesday and although it didn’t achieve that — meaning the record high for Oct. 18, set at 26.7 C in 1963, is safe for another year — it was still good enough for many.
“We’re just loving it,” said Margaret Bajnoczi, who was out for a walk on her lunch break with a friend.
“Can’t believe how mild it is. I was putting all my summer clothes away. Now I have to pull them out again, so it’s great.”
The warm weather isn’t expected to last though, said Young’s fellow Environment Canada meteorologist, Desjanelle Matthews.
Wednesday may be the last chance to enjoy these surprisingly warm temperatures, with an above-average high of 21 C and a low of 13 C expected.
“The really big cool down will be behind the next weather system which is set to come in Wednesday night and Thursday and affect potentially southern Ontario,” said Matthews.
That will cause “more seasonable temperatures” to set in, she added.
The seasonal average for Toronto this time of year? A low of 6 C and a high of 14 C, numbers that might call for an extra layer or two.