Toronto breaks weather record on last day of Winter

TORONTO – Toronto is saying goodbye to winter with a new record – the warmest March 19 ever.

Toronto has – so far – hit a high of 19.9 degrees Celsius, according to Environment Canada, breaking the old record of 19.1 set in 2010. According to Global Toronto meteorologist Anthony Farnell, the warm weather is not an isolated incident. “This will be the warmest March week on record across the province,” Farnell said. 

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With Spring officially starting on Tuesday, the record high brings to a close a warmer than usual winter that has seen above-average temperatures and little precipitation.

Temperatures are also supposed to stay higher than average for the rest of the week with Environment Canada forecasting temperatures between 23 and 25 degrees until Friday when some rain is expected. Farnell says that it is possible for weather patterns can “lock in” for months at a time, and “We just happen to be the centre of the warmest place in the world compared to normal right now.”

The coldest March 19 on record occurred in 1939 with a temperature of -20 degrees Celsius. 

Though many may blame this warm weather on Global Warming, Anthony Farnell is quick to warn that it may not be the case. “Before everyone blames this event on Global Warming, remember that Europe and Asia were much cooler this past winter and spring. The Global temperature is actually running below normal for the year so far and below normal for the month of March,” Farnell said.