MiKE: Brief Respite.

So, we are in the midst of a January thaw, which, according to Environment Canada climatologists, is almost a sure thing for the many many years that Toronto weather has been recorded. Warm air from the south came up across the lakes, picking up water and conveniently dumping it upon us.

Which means that the temperatures right now is about 18ºC, and expected to climb to as high as 21ºC (according to my MacOS dashboard widget).

Which means it feels right now that winter is over- we don't need the heavy jackets; the snow (the *ugh* dirty dirty snow) has melted away; it's been drizzling, humidity is in the 60s and above; and since the radiator in the room has been, ominously, not shut down, we have to keep the windows fully open or else the apartment would be too warm and stuffy.

And yet, all that I read and hear from people is that, don't be fooled, winter is not over yet, Environment Canada says that Toronto experiences about 65% of its snow in Jan and Feb, and that more is expected.

So as with my usual ambivalent posts, here is the ambivalence: it'd be really pleasant (tolerable?) if the weather were to be like this, the coldest -15ºC or so temperatures over and done with in a fortnight or so; on the other hand, I'd be quite disappointed: is this all Toronto has got? What happened to the famous recorded -30ºC winters? What am I going to do with the jacket I bought now?

Intellectually I know that the cold weather will be back, and my jacket will see more action yet, but right now, I feel a bit, let down. You know what I mean? Here's the article stolen from the Toronto Star:

Temperature record set - Jan 07, 2008 10:56 AM

Toronto set a new daily temperature record today, but will likely fall short of the monthly high for January set three years ago.

The thermometer reached 11 C by mid-morning, beating the previous Jan. 7 record of 6.5 C set in 1998 and well above the average daily high of -1.8 C.

"It should be freezing out there. It should not be melting like it is," said Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips.

He noted that a high of 12 C is typical around April 20, not in January.

"These are clearly temperatures that are 10 or 11 degrees above where they should be," Phillips said.

A January thaw – when temperatures reach 0.1 C or higher – is a virtual guarantee in Toronto. Since records began in 1840, Environment Canada has logged a thaw in downtown Toronto every January except for 1977, when the mercury only rose to 0 C.

"It’s a sure thing. There’s death and taxes and a January thaw," Phillips said.

But "major thaws," when temperatures rise above 10 C, have happened about once every two years since 1980, Phillips said.

The record daily high for the month of January in downtown Toronto is 17.6 degrees, set on January 13, 2005.

Temperatures should remain high tomorrow, with a forecast high of 11 C, but will dip below the freezing mark by the end of the week.

The warm weather is melting ice in the GTA, prompting police to warn people to stay off rivers and lakes.