by Ankit Banerjee
Spring officially started on March 20, with the date marking the Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere. The season kicked off better than expected, with warmer than average 13 and 14-degree highs on the 20th and 21st of March. It was a fantastic start to the season, and everyone was looking forward to getting back outdoors. No one told the person in charge of the weather, though.
Things took a turn for the worse, and haven’t recovered since. This week was particularly poor, with the weather running the gamut of options, almost like someone was pressing the wrong buttons in a panic. Multiple low-pressure systems over the last couple of weeks, since Spring “started,” have wreaked havoc during what is supposed to be a calmer season.
Surprise snow? Check. Flurries and rain? Check. Below freezing temperatures? Check. High winds gusting up to 90 km/h? Check. A surprisingly warm day in the middle of the week before temperatures returned to near zero the very next day with rain and flurries? Check and check.
Maria Mederos, an international student in the Journalism program at Seneca College, has one word to describe the weather we’ve had over the last ten days – impressive. “In Mexico, I’m used to seeing changes in the weather, like the sun at noon and rain all evening. But seeing the extreme change from a sunny 16-degree day and suddenly snow the next day, it’s impressive.”
“I was told if you can survive Chicago (the windy city) weather, you can survive any weather conditions thrown at you. Hello Toronto – your weather has me truly stumped!!” says Harish Prabhakaran, who moved to Toronto last October.
He has quickly put aside any thoughts about packing away his winter jackets and can’t decide when to switch out the winter tires on his car. “I was on the way to a garage when it started snowing. I’m glad it didn’t happen after I made the change.”
The weather has been all over the place for the last couple of weeks, but things are settling in as we get into April. The historical average is a high of 11-degrees and a low of four, and that’s exactly what we are seeing, at least for the next ten days. But April is also known for surprise snowstorms that come from nowhere, so keep a winter jacket close by.
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