Toronto about to get first taste of summer with temps as high as 18 C in March

Toronto will bask in summer-like temperatures now forecast to soar as high as 18 C on Wednesday, and we're still just under two weeks into March.

Toronto temperatures are already climbing into the low teens as of Tuesday afternoon, and locals can expect even warmer temps to follow on Wednesday as the mercury soars to the high teens.

Differing models show a range of temperatures forecast for Wednesday, but all sources agree that temperatures will reach the mid-to-high teens by midday.

The Weather Network and Environment Canada both forecast temperatures topping out at 17 C, while CP24 calls for a slightly warmer 18 C on Wednesday.

None of the models show temperatures rising quite high enough to beat the record warmest temperature ever recorded in Toronto on March 13, which occurred in 1990 when the mercury soared to a tropical 20.4 C.

Average highs for this time of the year typically range between 4 C and 5 C, with lows dipping to around -2 C to -3 C.

It's just another feather in the cap of what has been Toronto's warmest winter ever recorded, one that has already seen plants budding in February and several shattered records amid an unprecedented mild streak brought on by a combination of El Nino and climate change.

However, temperatures are expected to plummet once again on Thursday and dip down to the single digits by Friday as a system moves in and dumps rain on the region.