Early arrival of spring in Ontario this year has screwed so many things up

Even if you're one of those people who has been revelling in this year's bizarrely warm winter in Toronto, it's pretty hard to deny that the record-high temperatures and absence of snow have been extreme enough to be a little frightening.

It's easy to lose count of how many long-standing weather records the city has broken in recent months, with some days marking the balmiest, most unusual conditions seen in more than 180 years.

Even if the trend has meant some surprise (and very welcomed) patio days weeks ahead of schedule, it's also led to serious and noticeable impacts on local ecosystems.

Unlike many people I really miss winter. When I was a child/youth we had snow covering the ground from sometime in November to sometime in March. We could play shinny on outdoor rinks and toboggan anytime we liked.

— Maxwell Smart 86 (@larrymondello63) March 5, 2024

Ontario's famous fall colours were sadly delayed, Christmas was not-at-all white, and now the early end to the city's warmest winter in history is prompting local animals, insects and plants to go haywire.

The future of local Maple syrup production is in danger as it hasn't been cold enough for sap to flow as it should, leading to dangerous low reserve levels.

The Great Lakes are shockingly free of their usual ice cover, as human-man outdoor ice rinks were for large chunks of our typically colder months. The City of Toronto ended up calling the skating season early, closing rinks mid-March, and also ended up moving its prescribed springtime burn of High Park up by a few weeks.

Allergy season has also arrived early — and will last longer — as confused plants started releasing pollen and blooming during the winter months.

Likewise disoriented are animals like bears, who are waking up early from their winter slumbers thanks to the freakishly mild temperatures, unrested and with little food around to eat. Migratory birds also seem to be making a homecoming far earlier in the season than usual.

And humans, too, have been baffled by the tropical temps and weather phenomenon, like thunderstorms, hail and thermometers reading 21 C in parts of the province in February, when we should be dealing with sub-zero temps as we shovel snow.

That was kind of fun. Strange. But fun at the same time.

— 🎭 Sändi Cöle 🎭 (@Sandra_Cole44) February 28, 2024

Largely to blame is this year's El Niño winter, which had meteorolgists calling for a slow-arriving, temperate and flip-floppy season off the bat.

But, the sheer number of record-setting weather events one right after the other — at times on simultaneous days — has many worrying about rapid climate change and how nature is being affected.