Toronto breaks two weather records for February
Posted February 3, 2016 10:32 am.
Last Updated February 3, 2016 7:30 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s official – today marks the warmest Feb. 3 ever in Toronto and it is also the warmest February day in history.
At 10:29 a.m. on Wednesday, the temperature at the airport was 9.7, C, beating the old Feb. 3 record of 9.3 C. That record was set in 1991. The warmest ever temperature in February, which was 14.9 C, was set on Feb. 23, 1984.
The most recent temperature reading for Wednesday was 16 C at Pearson International Airport.
It’s a real change from last February, when Toronto was in the grips of a polar vortex. This year’s weather feels more like an early spring, with Wednesday bringing unseasonably warm temperatures instead of a cold snap.
“Very mild temperatures for us, with many areas likely breaking record highs,” 680 NEWS meteorologist Jill Taylor said. “A gusty southwest wind will push our guaranteed high to 13 C, with some areas even warmer than that.”
A number of new record high temperatures were set across parts of southern Ontario, Environment Canada said. While the official total won’t be released until later Wednesday night, unofficial records show that Windsor, for example, hit a high of 11 C. The previous total was 9.8 C, set in 1991.
In Sarnia, the high of 11 C beat the 1991 record of 7.9 C, and in Welland, the high of 9 C broke the 1991 record of 8 C.
While there was a lot of rain – not snow – for the morning commute, there was lots of warm sunshine on Wednesday afternoon.
Rain warnings had ended for Toronto by Wednesday morning, CityNews meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai said, with no freezing rain expected for GTA and Toronto.
“By noon or one o’clock, we’ll be into some sunny breaks,” she added.
