Toronto, GTA under special weather statement with sharp and bitter cold front coming

Toronto and the surrounding GTA are under a special weather statement that is expected to remain in effect through Wednesday in anticipation of a sharp cold front that will see double-digit temperatures plummet.

Locals woke up to warmer-than-usual and spring-like temperatures on Tuesday, with morning sunshine that made way for heavy bouts of rain. Toronto and the GTA also saw thunderstorms, with some areas, including Mississauga, seeing intense storms with lightning pass through the region.

Toronto reached a daytime high of 12 C, and despite the clouds and rain, it has been relatively sunny throughout February, a contrast to a gloomier month of January in southern Ontario. To put Tuesday’s mild temperatures into perspective, Windsor became the first place in Ontario this year to reach the 20 C mark this afternoon.

Environment Canada says a fierce temperature change will soon put an end to the warmth, bringing with it the chance of a flash and hard freeze.

“A strong cold front is expected to track through southern Ontario on Wednesday, causing temperatures to drop dramatically along with the development of strong northwesterly winds gusting to 70 or 80 km/h for much of the afternoon and evening,” Canada’s weather agency writes. “Winds are expected to ease Wednesday night.”

Possible 20-degree drop in some Ontario regions

By 4 p.m. on Wednesday, temperatures in Toronto are forecasted to drop to 2 C, with it feeling more like -5 C. By midnight, it’s expected to drop to -5 C, with it feeling closer to -16 C.

“The sudden temperature drop may lead to icy surfaces as temperatures fall below the freezing mark through the day,” Environment Canada adds. “Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions.”

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As a result, the end of the week will be nothing like how it all started, as the daytime high on Thursday should come in at around -3 C.

“The spring-like fight between warm and cold airmasses is on, with the cold taking over Wednesday afternoon,” said CityNews meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai. “With rapidly falling temperatures, there is the potential for any standing water to ice over Wednesday night into Thursday morning.”

Mother Nature will put another wild spin on the end of the week and the month of February, as temperatures are forecasted to increase again to usher in March on Friday to a potential high of 8 C in Toronto with plenty of sunshine.

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