toronto weather

The rest of Toronto's winter is expected to be warmer than usual

Who'd have thought? The Farmer's Almanac — which uses a secret "astronomical formula" to predict weather well in advance of when scientists can — was wrong about Toronto having a cold and snowy winter season this year.

This, according to the actual weather experts at Environment Canada (and also the Weather Network at the beginning of December.)

With the holidays now behind us, Torontonians must now suffer through what most people regard as the worst two months of the year: January and February. 

Known for being cold, grey and mostly devoid of fun, this period usually ends in March, but can last until May, when we're all about ready to sell off our assets and move to Mexico. It's also when we've traditionally seen brutal weather events, like the Polar Vortex.

Short days and grumpy faces are inevitable, but there's a silver lining for the rest of winter of 2020: We'll have decent temperatures for the most of it. Relatively speaking.

"We have already seen the weather trailer sort of speak and it is milder than normal," said Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips to CP24 on Thursday, which posted temperatures well above seasonal with high of 6 C.

"Our models are showing more of the same for January, February and March."

Phillips attributes the recent warm snap and lack of snow to the presence of a jet stream north of Ontario which has been keeping arctic air at bay.

We could still see some dangerously cold days ahead, says Phillips, but there will likely be far less of them than we saw last year.

"We have not cheated winter, you never do that," he told CP24. "But certainly it has been slow to arrive in its gusto."

Lead photo by

Shahzad Avi 


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

The former landmark HMV store on Yonge St. is getting a new tenant

Canadian Dental Care Plan expands to cover more services

Ontario drivers are so bad at using one road feature that police keep having to explain it

Abandoned century-old bridge in Toronto is finally being demolished

Several people injured in high-speed TTC crash overnight

Toronto neighbours build ghostly marriage proposal for Halloween

Upcoming job fairs where you can look for work in Toronto

Multiple Canadian companies just ranked among the world's best employers for women