Cold weather comes to an end as Arctic releases its icy grip

TORONTO – Ah, that rollercoaster of a ride called “Winter in Canada.”

After a week of frigid temperatures, the Arctic freeze has released its grip across the country. Well, most of the country.

READ MORE: “Brrr, it’s cold outside! What you need to know about health and winter weather

Calgary and Edmonton are the big winners this week with temperatures rising above 0 C this week. On Wednesday afternoon, the mercury in Calgary had climbed to 9 C. That’s right: no minus sign. And the above freezing temperatures are expected to last for the rest of the week, a welcome relief to a city that experienced a high of -18 C and low of – 25 C the first week of the month.

Though not quite as warm, Edmonton was also experiencing temperatures above 0 C. The normal daytime high for the city this time of year is -8 C.

In Winnipeg, well, the unofficial winter capital of Canada was definitely warmer on Wednesday reaching a high of about -9 C, definitely warmer than the city’s normal daytime high of -13 C. But, the news isn’t all good: temperatures on Thursday are expected to once again dip to -18 C. The good news, though, is that it’s not expected to last. Temperatures are expected to reach around -6 C for the rest of the week with some snow.

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In Toronto, where a cold weather alert was issued over the past two nights due to temperatures below -15 C, the mercury climbed to -3 C, which is around the norm for this time of year. And temperatures were expected to remain around the normal mark into the weekend.

Ottawa and Montreal, however, will remain cold for the next few days with temperatures around -10 C. In Montreal, it was -15 C on Wednesday, though it’s expected to get slightly warmer by Friday.

Halifax reached a high of -6 C on Wednesday, but was expected to reach the daytime norm of 0 C on Friday.

Then there’s Vancouver. The city hasn’t experienced the deep chill the rest of the country has seen, though on Friday temperatures were definitely colder than normal with a high of just 4 C (the norm is 6 C). But it was just one day: temperatures are expected to return to normal for the rest of the week.

Of course, this is Canada, so you can pretty much bet on another cold roller coaster ride. Or not. This is Canada after all. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

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