Temperatures soar to mild February highs in Ontario, but with rain in the mix

Rain, snow, and some unusual February warmth. The energy from the deadly Southern California storms is impacting the weather pattern for much of Canada this week.

While we don't need to be concerned about any extreme events in Ontario, the moisture associated with it has helped to develop a Colorado low, which is bringing some snow, rain, and even well above seasonal temperatures into parts of the region to end off this week.

Double-digit highs will be more widespread for southern Ontario on Friday, with the potential for places like Toronto and Ottawa to reach new record highs for February.

Despite the rising temperatures, and spring-like feels, it's still not quite time to write off the winter season just yet.

Thursday night into Friday

As milder temperatures take over most of Ontario, rain will fall as a Colorado low tracks through northern Ontario.

Rain will start for the Lake Superior and Lake Huron shorelines by Thursday evening.

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By around midnight, the rain will engulf all of northeastern Ontario, even all the way up to Moosonee on James Bay, and then track east into the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

This is the time period where most of the rain will fall, albeit the forecast amount is relatively low. By Friday morning, the majority of the rain has moved out of the GTA, with scattered showers in eastern Ontario as precipitation continues in the northeast.

The rainfall amounts aren’t unusual. It’s how far north the rainfall is sprawling that is anomalous.

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The south remains mostly dry and very mild through Friday, with temperatures forecast to soar into the mid-teens across extreme southwestern Ontario. Daytime highs of 12°C or 13°C will push towards the GTA.

Temperatures in Toronto and Ottawa have the potential to break a daily temperature record on Friday.

Story continues

Saturday

Scattered showers continue for northeastern Ontario, and by Saturday morning, colder temperatures return. That will transition the rain to some flurries. As the rain moves into Quebec, it leaves drier conditions for southern Ontario.

For southern Ontario, a secondary low will track into the region bringing rain through the overnight hours Friday, and reaching the GTA by Saturday morning. Eventually the rain moves east ushering in drier conditions late Saturday and Sunday.

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Don't write off the winter season just yet!

Despite this week's exceptional warm-up, it's not time to write off the winter season just yet.

A major pattern change will develop next week as temperatures trend colder.

There will be a period of transition, but we expect near seasonal, and at times, colder-than-seasonal temperatures will dominate during the second half of February and into the first half of March.

Be sure to check back for the latest weather updates across Ontario.