Toronto might get record-breaking snow this week because spring is a lie

The sun has been shining, birds have been chirping, and that feeling of spring is in the air. But this is Toronto, and snow is always a very real possibility, even weeks after winter officially ends.

In what will hopefully be the final blast of wintery weather, Toronto is looking at another dusting of snow this week.

It may not be a total snowpocalypse like the city faced back in Jan., but the potential snowfall forecast for Mon. evening and Tues. morning could be enough to break a longstanding weather record.

Environment Canada is calling for snow or possibly rain in the overnight hours Monday, a 40 per cent chance of flurries that could total two centimetres. It will be more of the same on Tuesday morning, a 40 per cent chance of flurries transitioning to a 60 per cent chance of showers by late morning.

Even if Toronto gets a fraction of this snowfall, it would still be enough to shatter the record for the snowiest April 19 on record at Pearson Airport. Since record-keeping began in 1938, the current snowiest April 19 occurred in 1997, when just 0.2 cm of snow fell on the city, just a tenth of what is predicted for this week.

With 2cm of forecast snow, tomorrow could be #Toronto-Pearson's snowiest Apr 19th since records began in 1938. #TOWx pic.twitter.com/lE7WmaZ66O

— Toronto Weather Records🌤 (@YYZ_Weather) April 18, 2022

No other year even came close, with all other contender years registering in the 0 cm range. It could still be worse though, as the coldest April 19 on record saw temperatures drop to a chilly -3.9 C in 1946.

These records exist in a bubble, of course, and one only has to look at records for April 20 to see a very different picture. The city was hit with 2.2 cm of the white stuff on that date in 1978, and saw temperatures plunge to a frigid -5.4 C on that date in 1981.

It's a brutal reminder that winter leaves Toronto on its own terms and has little regard for your wardrobe choices or outdoor plans.

The cold blast will, thankfully, be short-lived, Environment Canada forecasting the temperature to rise throughout the week and reach a high of 22 C on Sunday.