Temperature ‘roller coaster’ on the way for Waterloo Region

After the unrelenting cold of late December and through January, this recent warm-up has been a nice break —freezing rain aside.

But, as most residents in southern Ontario know, you can never really be sure winter is over.

This week will see a return of arctic conditions before a few days of above-seasonal temperatures. Then the bottom falls out, and the temperature plummets at the end of the weekend.

Geoff Coulson, Environment Canada, Warning Preparedness Meteorologist, told 570 NewsRadio, bundle up before leaving the house on Tuesday.

“Wake-up temperatures first thing Tuesday morning, -18 C in the Kitchener/Waterloo area. Normal lows for this time of year are -10 C, so we’ll be a lot colder than that. We’re also looking at only getting up to a high on Tuesday of -8 C. Normal highs for this time of year are -1 C.”

An Alberta clipper is pushing the cold air eastward from the prairies. As it moves over the Great Lakes, it will pick up moisture that will then fall as snow, expected to arrive midweek with anywhere from 5 to 10 cm of accumulation.

“This one (Alberta clipper) is relatively fast-moving, doesn’t have a great moisture feed. So, the 5 to 10 cm generally across the area seems pretty reasonable. And, we could pick up additional accumulation on Wednesday from off-site snow in the wake of that system,” said Coulson.

Coulson went on to say it’s going to be an up-and-down kind of week.

“The way things are shaping up for the next seven to ten days, more variation in temperature is expected. Milder temperatures with the system Tuesday night into Wednesday, and then colder temperatures again later on in the week. Mild temperatures again on Friday then colder temperatures again for the weekend. So, a bit of a roller coaster for our temperatures over the next week or so.”

When asked what kind of spring Waterloo Region can look forward to, Coulson said the fluctuating temperatures will likely continue to some degree, but overall, March is expected to be warmer than average.

Coulson wanted to point out that wild swings in temperature are quite possible this time of year, making it important for people to regularly check the forecast from Environment Canada to stay on top of any warnings that may arise.