Warmer than Las Vegas: Toronto enjoys brief spike in temperatures

You didn’t have to travel far to find a brief respite from winter temperatures on Friday.

In fact, Friday afternoon’s high in Toronto beat out several major southern destinations in the United States, including Las Vegas, Phoenix, Albuquerque and Dallas.

According to Environment Canada, Toronto hit its high of 12 C at 1 p.m. ET. Compare that to 1 p.m. PT in Las Vegas where, according to the United States National Weather Service (NWS) website, it was only 8 C.

In Albuquerque early Friday afternoon, the NWS said it was a chilly -4 C.

Global News weather specialist Mike Arsenault said the warmer temperatures weren’t just in Toronto.

“Much of southern Ontario and the eastern seaboard saw big heat due to warm air from the Gulf surging north,” he said.

“Strong southerly winds helped bring temperatures into double digits.”

WATCH: Fluctuating temperatures causing ice safety risk. Kamil Karamali reports. (Dec. 27)

1:45 Fluctuating temperatures causing ice safety risk

Friday’s temperatures didn’t set a record. The warmest Dec. 28 on record happened in 1982 when the high hit 17 C. The average for this time of year is between 0 and -8 C.

However, Arsenault noted the pleasant weather won’t be here for long and that it will be noticeably colder on the weekend.

Environment Canada’s forecast for Saturday is a high of -2 C