Rare trifecta welcomes spring, banishes winter (if only in name)

It’s time to do with winter what you’d do with anyone else who froze you out, dumped on you, and more than once left you in tears — break up.

Spring officially arrives on Friday at 6:45 p.m.

In the GTA, this year’s winter season brought frigid temperatures, teeth-chattering wind chills, icy roads, and blowing snow.

But, be warned, Old Man Winter doesn’t appear to be loosening his icy grip anytime soon.

Although Friday’s forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 7 C, 680News meteorologist Jill Taylor said showers or flurries are in store overnight as the temperature drops to 2 C.

Flurries and showers are also in the forecast for Saturday morning, and the low drops to -8 C. Sunday will be colder with a high near -1 C. The temperatures continue to hover near -1 C early next week as well.

“We’ve never had a spring without snow in the Toronto area,” Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips said on Thursday.

He said with lots of ice still prevalent and the frozen ground, the region is “not at that stage yet.”

Phillips said the rest of March and most of April will be cooler than normal.

“Spring doesn’t look like it’s going to be one of those ones that is a balmy one. It’s going to be more winter-like.”

Rare celestial trifecta

Not only is it the beginning of the spring equinox, but also a solar eclipse and a supermoon.

Rome, London, Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam will see a partial eclipse. However, it won’t be seen in Toronto. The next solar eclipse is 2017.

On Friday night, the moon’s oval orbit will bring it closer to earth creating a supermoon, but it won’t be visible in Toronto. Another four supermoons are in store for this year.

With files from Irene Preklet, Kalie Stephan, Catherine Jette

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