Markham residents saw temperatures swing by more than 20 degrees in a week, from a mild Friday to one of the coldest mornings of the late season, then back above freezing by Wednesday.
A mild end to February
Friday, Feb. 27 brought a break from winter. Environment Canada's daily records for Toronto Pearson International Airport show a high of 7.3 C, and Saturday stayed nearly as mild at 6.9 C. That was well above normal; Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Eric Tomlinson noted that daytime highs in February are supposed to be around 0 C.
Pearson recorded about one centimetre of snow on Feb. 28 as colder air began moving in.
Bitter start to March
The cold arrived on Sunday, March 1, and stayed through Monday. Pearson's high was -6 C on Sunday, and the temperature fell to -14.4 C on March 2. Wind chills reached about -30 in parts of the GTA on Monday morning, CP24 reported, and a cold warning that had been in effect for parts of the region was lifted later that morning.
This is really the last morning of real cold
— Geoff Coulson, warning preparedness meteorologist, Environment and Climate Change Canada, on March 2
Thaw arrives midweek
Temperatures climbed back toward seasonal levels on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, March 4, Pearson reached 7.8 C, the warmest reading of the week. Coulson said daytime highs and overnight lows should stay above freezing from Wednesday through the weekend, so snow would keep melting around the clock.
He added that this is the time conservation authorities may start issuing watershed condition statements warning people to stay away from rivers and streams. Environment Canada was also watching for showers moving into the Golden Horseshoe on Thursday afternoon and evening, with a chance of freezing rain east of Toronto early Friday.
