February was a month of extremes.
Results from the Ontario Weather Review have been released showing that temperatures during the 2nd month of the year were much colder than normal in the northern areas of the province, reaching as low as -10 to -12 degrees.
Meanwhile Southwestern Ontario experienced warmer than usual seasonal temperatures, especially in the second half of the month. A brief period in areas like London saw temperatures reach close to +16 over the days of Feb. 19-21, smashing daily record highs dating back to the 1930’s.
This warm period also brought above-normal precipitation, with places in Southwestern Ontario experiencing rainfall more than 75% the seasonal average.
As previously mentioned, the 3-day period of Feb.19-21 resulted in severe weather conditions as a result of a thaw/rain/flood event. Parts of Southwestern Ontario experienced 75mm of rain fall over the span of three days eliminating the 45cm of snow that had accumulated on the ground from mid-month. The flooding was so severe in parts that it claimed the life of a 3 year old child in Orangeville.
The Ontario Weather Review anticipates seasonal to somewhat warmer than seasonal temperatures for the month of March across the province. After the heavy amount of precipitation in February, the first half of March is expected to be drier than normal with no strong trends expected for the latter half of the month.
