Warmest weather of the winter on the way for Toronto

Southern Ontario is finally on deck for a winter weekend that doesn't warrant wearing snowpants to the bar – but don't bust out your sandals just yet.

Temperatures are expected to rise significantly by the end of this week, according to The Weather Network, and they won't be dropping back down (at least not into extreme cold weather alert territory) before February.

Between Thursday and Monday, Toronto will actually experience its longest stretch of days with temperatures above the freezing mark since mid-November.

Meteorologists are calling it a "wintermission," which sounds like a glorious respite from the blistering cold we've been living through for months – but also implies that there's more to come.

A slippery morning rush in parts of southern Ontario today after 5-10 cm of snow fell through the night. Beyond today, we'll see a pause on winter as temperatures take a significant climb. More details here: https://t.co/vyYjFd6E9O #onstorm #wintermission pic.twitter.com/1s6CPrWicG

— The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) January 16, 2018

Forecasts shows temperatures that are above the seasonal average next week, but, as The Weather Network points out, this is typically the coldest time of the year in our region.

Snow is still very possible on several days heading into February, but don't expect to see any of the see-saw temperature swings that turned Toronto into an icy mess late last week.

We'll see a high of 6 C on Monday, but then temperatures are expected to hover between -1 C and -4 C for a few weeks.

During the second week of February, temperatures could drop quite steeply again thanks another arctic air mass.

"There's a lack of arctic air through the first week of February, but winter is expected to make a strong finish for mid-February and March," said Weather Network meteorologist Doug Gillham.

"After our 'Wintermission,' act two looks cold and stormy."