Quick evening report

The thaw has been on big time today with a high around +7C here. We've probably lost around a third of our snowcover already. Howver, this evening (in typical Canadian style) we have a sudden cooldown with a low of -14C for tonight. I went out early this evening and it is absolulely lethal out there. The large pools of water created by the melting snow are freezing fast, so you have lots of big puddles with an coating of ice. The pavements are scary, and our driveway is a an icerink. Many people are walking on the roads as dodging SUVs is safer than sliding around on the sidewalk.

Tomorrow should be cooler, high around -2C, then we see another warm up, possibly up to 9-10C on Friday and another cooldown over the weekend with the possibility of snow.

Brett Anderson's latest take on things, he also seems to think the worst (or best ) of the severe cold could be over for this area this winter, although it's looking cold out west, and we have a clipper hitting the Maritimes

http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/anderson/story/45765/storm-snowfall-update-1.asp

Southern Ontario is experiencing a very mild spell associated with a marked warm sector associated with a deep low pressure tracking east just south of Hudson Bay.

Burlington has a forecast high of +9C tomorrow and Friday (normal is -1C), then as the cold front moves through it drops to 0C on Saturday and -5C on Sunday in the strong NW flow.

just notice on the ecm ens mean that eastern canada goes from uppers around +2c T48 to -24c at T72. now that must be some cold front !!! bad news for the uk is that this energy heads into the nw atlantic.

Yes, that is quite impressive isn't it.

As for the enegy, although curiously on the Op the LP system starts as a minor feature off the coast of BC, deepens markedly as it comes across Canada and then dies again as it exits the eastern seaboard.

Hi folks, very busy week for me so quick post as i take a coffee break! As posted earlier, much milder in Ontario this week, currently 8c in Toronto & Hamilton. Colder at night with a freeze of thawing snow, we now have just under a foot lying and many of the higher snowbanks are starting to look poor and are not all that pure white way now shall we say!

Going to turn colder over the weekend with the passing of this cold front with temps back below 0c and the chance as things stand of some fresh snow on Sunday. It looks however as Paul posted at the start of the week that the worst of our winter cold may just have passed and with it perhaps the worst of the snow, certainly in terms of depth.

Back to the grind and all that, looking forward to having a few days off from Saturday afternoon. Might even catch a hockey game that i have neglected terribly this year!

Take Care

Any chance the Leafs make the play-offs, Stewart? And what about the Jose Bautista contract - exciting times for Blue Jays fans with Spring Training now underway - can't wait til the new season starts!

Anyway, back on topic: I've been too busy to post this week, will post properly over the weekend but in the meantime I think it's fair to say the Southern Plains of the US have been the place to be if you like a little variety in your February weather. Here's the daily maximum readings (in fahrenheit) for Oklahoma City so far this month, as an example:

19, 15, 20, 27, 46, 42, 42, 38, 18, 32, 49, 61, 68, 64, 74, 78, 80.

From deep snow and frigid conditions on Feb 9th, to proper barbeque and t-shirt weather a week later!

Enjoy the weekend!

Hello all, a quick update

Massive thaw in progress and has been going on for the last 2 days. Today has hit +10C I would say, the kids have been out on bikes, 10 days ago they were skiing and it was -15C  Generally sunny and really quite windy. Feels just like a nice spring day in Scotland. Incredible melt speed really, the lying snowpack has been almost completely wiped out, and many of the pavements are waterlogged.

It's a month of wild temp swings though, as tonight we could be down to -6C with an ice day tomorrow and possibly some snow on Sunday. Winter isn't done yet, although if I have to stick my neck out I would say we've seen the back of the really brutal temperatures and our chances for another big snowstorm are low.

Holiday weekend here, hope everyone has a good one 

Hello Peter - I will be in Calgary next week until the 8th March, so please keep me updated. Last year when I was there it was a balmy 17C then -4C two days later.

Looks like it is currently -22c in Calgary, Alberta. This could mean -30c at Sunshine Village ski resort in Banff, which is a little bone chilling if you are skiing down the mountain at 50mph. I actually chose to go end of Feb/March to avoid -30c and besides it's like $100 cheaper on Air Canada flight. Well the good news is that at least the snow will not melt in a hurry. Oh well, I will not complain.

Please keep me updated Peter - Brett Anderson goes for the cold weather to stay in the western interior of Canada right up until the end of February.

Indeed, a cold week ahead for Calgary with temps generally in the -10c to -25c range. Wrap up warm, Tally, have a good trip.

Indeed it's chilly over much of Canada right now, with only Vancouver of the major cities above 0c. Even there, it's only +2c.

Quite a snowy weekend developing for parts of Southern Ontario, with the thaw of last week now a distant memory. There's a blowing snow warning out for Hamilton this afternoon with 5cm expected locally and then later tomorrow a system moves south of the Great Lakes probably meaning a general 8-15cm of snow for much of Southern Ontario. After that temps are back on the slide and there will be a cold few days to start the week. Winter is definitely not over, as I'm sure Stewart and Paul are only too well aware today!

That same storm will bring 6"-12" or more of snow from south Dakota through Minnesota and Wisconsin to Michigan.

Enjoy the weekend everyone.

Good Saturday evening all, hope the weekend is going good. Currently watching that Hockey game i promised myself i would as the Leafs take on the Senators from Ottawa at the ACC, currently 0-0 in the 1st period. Playoff hopes still look (hopeful) Graeme for the Leafs again, 1967 is a long time ago since the Stanley Cup came to T.O.!!! As for the Jays, excitement is building ahead of the new season. I'm getting facebook updates now on the team so keeping in touch with what goes on even if i don't catch the internet site or sports report. Looking promising for 2011 i'd say with some good noises and positivity coming out of the Skydome so far!

Back to the weather, more Snow is coming - winter won't let go.........just yet! -

Special weather statement
Updated by Environment Canada at 2:40 PM EST Saturday
19 February 2011.

Special weather statement continued for..
City of Toronto
Windsor - Essex - Chatham-Kent
Sarnia - Lambton
Elgin
London - Middlesex
Simcoe - Delhi - Norfolk
Dunnville - Caledonia - Haldimand
Oxford - Brant
Niagara
City of Hamilton
Halton - Peel
Huron - Perth
Waterloo - Wellington.

      ..Snow possibly heavy Sunday night..

==discussion==
A low pressure system is expected to develop over Nebraska Sunday and
move towards the lower Great Lakes.

Snow associated with this system is expected to develop over
Southwestern Ontario Sunday afternoon and reach Toronto area by
Sunday evening. Snow heavy at times is likely Sunday night south of
A line from Goderich to Toronto leaving amounts 10 to 20 centimetres
by the time it ends early Monday morning.

The exception will be Windsor area and regions adjacent to Western
Lake Erie where snow may change to freezing rain Sunday night.

Here's Brett Anderson's snowfall map for Ontario/Quebec -

Generally 10-15cm being talked about so a fair bit of snow and it could cause issues for Monday if your travelling anywhere. Back before the main snow action started for this year, we'd be raving and building a good event like this up but after 6wks of snow, with a week of thaw....i think most people are really looking forward to spring and some warmer weather. For now, winter comes back and as Graeme reported, it stays for most of next week with temps progged at around 0c.

Back to the hockey, will post storm update tomorrow.

good stuff and very lucky, pics later please

Warnings now out - for Hamilton/Oakville up to 15cm with blowing snow.

The snow has reached SW Ontario and is moving steadily NE. Looks quite impressive on the radar.

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/radar/index_e.html

As Stewart reports we have some more snow on the way

http://thestar.blogs.com/weather360/2011/02/another-winter-storm-set-to-hit-southern-ontario.html

I should really read the weather forecast before calling the end of winter , however it does seem to be a good way to increase the snowfall .

Anyway, nice start to the day here, sunny and calm. Almost no snow cover apart from the snowpile residue at each driveway entrance. We've even been outside a bit with the kids, clearing up some of the twigs which were blown down during Friday and Saturday (Saturday morning was *nasty*, around freezing with a very strong and bitter wind). Friday's big warmup is a distant memory now, it's below freezing again, in fact we had a covering of snow yesterday around lunchtime which quickly melted/evaporated in the sun. Momday night has a low of around -23C with windchill.

As forecast, the sun is gradually giving way to cloud now and we are expecting 3-6" overnight, although the latest projections show the storm tracking a little bit further south, so Stewart may get more than us out of this one.

The LRF going into March is looking pretty much seasonable, or even below average, so winter is not done yet

http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/anderson/story/45951/computer-model-outlook-through-end-of-winter.asp

We're off to Quebec skiing in about 3 weeks time so I'm happy to see the winter hold on for this month. After that, I definitely will be thinking about spring. The big swings between the summer heat baths and the winter face blasts are one of the fun things about the climate here

Winter is back but without the fuss it could have created for Family Day here in Ontario. Currently -10c in flurries and a 50kph NE wind (It's mighty cold!) Best idea is to stay indoors! Snow was a near miss unfortunately for most of the GTA as Paul reported yesterday the storm tracked further South & West so Windsor took the bullseye with 28cm of snow followed by Sarnia at 22cm. By the time the storm reached the City of Hamilton area some of the power of it had gone and thus much less snowtotals that predicted.

We've got 8cm here, or 3 inches in old money. Parts of the city had 10cm near the mountain and on report on the Spec says they have 20cm on the mountain, which i'm suspicious of as i see no reason for one mountain locale to have such difference in totals compared to here in Upper Dundas. Toronto Pearson got 5cm as did the downtown. So, alas on this occasion not the full impact we'd been promised by EC, who btw are taking another pounding from local media and online over the overblowen storm totals and 'winter storm warning' that they issued for Hamilton/Burlington and points S and W yesterday. It's the weather afterall and sometimes it does things computers can't predict!

Staying cold here for the next 24hrs before moderation returns and temps go back to nearer 0c. What snow is left, about 24cm in total still will start to melt as the longer days and slightly warmer air take hold. Will we have a snowpack come March 1?

Take Care

Well, after a couple of recent near misses (for the most part) there's another storm targeting the Golden Horseshoe tonight into tomorrow. Even better, there's no EC warnings out thus far (though there are Special Weather Statements). The predicted track of this storm has gradually drifted north bringing much of southern Ontario into play, with the chance of up to 25 cm of snow. As things stand the Hamilton area might just be one of the areas worst hit.

However the biggest story weatherwise is likely to be the severe storms and tornadoes on the 'other' side of this storm system, with the lower Mississippi valley under threat later today. I know we have a dedicated US severe storms thread, no doubt the guys on there will provide more detail. Henry M has been going on at length about the potentially very stormy pattern we're about to see in the US, with the emphasis for severe storms and tornadoes perhaps being further north and east of the traditional breeding grounds of Kansas and Oklahoma. His latest post is here.

Meanwhile the west is back in winter's grip with Seattle looking snowy this morning There may even be some snowflakes flying in downtown San Francisco - and if they do, it will be the first time in 35 years! A piece here from Accuweather.

I've got the feeling the next few weeks are going to be pretty interesting to say the least, as Winter gives way to Spring.

That would be extraordinary.

Hello all

Been a bit under the weather (sorry) this week, so haven't posted. As Stewart reported, the Family Day storm wasn't really anything significant - enough to require driveway shovelling (probably 3") but really not enought to cause any disruption, and in fact most of it has melted in the sun over the week, and there is quite a lot of bare grass here.

Anyway, there's another storm on the way:

http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/anderson/story/46177/storm-snowfall-forecast-map-1.asp

To me it looks like the accumulations are difficult to predict on this one, the bands on the map above are quite narrow. Hamilton looks like it may get more than us, we'll see. Working at home tomorrow so I should be able to keep an eye on things. Given EC's track record this year I'm expecting a huge unexpected dump

Arrived Calgary safely after being interrogated by immigration officials at customs! Gosh they are tighter than Fort Knox. Surely the last thing you want is to be interrogated and harassed after a 10 hr flight!

Anyway back on topic to the weather - it is a bone chilling -21c on arrival and currently -23c. Lots of fresh powder with occasional intermittent light snow flurries. Some said that this week has been the coldest so far this winter in Calgary??? I can even feel the nasal hair follicals freeze together! [No nosebleeds yet] lol.

Look forward to do some skiing when the weather warms up a little.

Yes it's pretty brutal out in Alberta and the Prairies right now, temps in the major cities of Saskatchewan are in the mid minus 30s celsius, with wind chills in the mid -40s. Slightly less cold in Calgary over the weekend but still subzero with colder air set to return early next week. It's even a chilly -6c in Vancouver right now.

Meanwhile Toronto just cannot buy a major snowstorm this winter. The track of the current storm looked very promising for a while only for it to once again head south and just brush T.O. More snow for Hamilton though, it's snowing steadily there at the moment. Southern New Brunswick looks a good bet for a major snowstorm tonight. Moncton is often ground zero for snow in the Maritimes and I wouldn't be surprised to see 35-40cm there overnight.

Must be a bug going around because like Paul, i've been 'under the weather' for the past few days also and only starting to feel better today. Which is highly annoying!

More snow but less than possibly could have been the case if the forecast, which admittedly was diffucult, was correct from yesterday. Probably just under 10cm here in Dundas and as the Spec reports, the morning commute was surprisingly difficult - http://www.thespec.com/news/article/492856--snowy-tale-of-two-cities. I think sometimes if folk are prepared for the weather they drive better and the crews are better prepared, with this storm it was hard to accurately predict it's intensity and track which i think caught both the city council and people driving out this morning.

Currently -1c in flurries with just over 20cm lying snow after this week's thaw of what fell on Monday. Brutally cold tonight with a w/c near -20 and an air temp of -11c which is fairly cold for late Feb in the GTA. Not as cold as out West......Regina, SK currently -23c!

Cold Saturday here before a big warm-up on Sunday with rain not snow forecast and what snow remains could all be gone by March 1st as temps remain a couple degrees above 0c.

Local reports of snow from last night/this morning :

Toronto Pearson -  1cm

Dundas (Upper) - 10cm

Dundas (Lower) - 8cm

Hamilton (Munro) -  9cm

Hamilton (City) - 6cm

St.Catharine's - 11cm

Niagara-on-the-lake - 16cm

Niagara Falls - 15cm

Have a great weekend everyone.

Good stuff Tally

Pics on return

Not as cold...gosh!! Even Calgarians are moaning at this cold weather! How can you say not as cold further west at -23c - is that not still below average?

Erm, I think you misread Stewart's comment, Tally? He said it wasn't as cold [in Ontario] as it was out west in SK.

Snowfall warning out for Vancouver right now, with around 10cm expected, though it will turn slightly less cold later today. Brett Anderson updates here.

More frigid air is set to pour in to Alberta and the Prairies as we start the coming week, while out east the cold airmass currently over Atlantic Canada will quickly modify. The models have backed off bringing very mild air up over much of Southern Ontario but the next storm later today still looks like a rain event for the Golden Horseshoe. There will be snow and freezing rain further to the north and east. Still a bit of uncertainty about this one. I fancy somewhere like Quebec City will end up with a decent snowstorm.

A tremendous contrast in the weather over SW parts of the US today, with relatively low level snow and cold weather for much of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Highs in Phoenix and Las Vegas only in the mid 50s today. In places with elevation, like Flagstaff, AZ it's snowing currently at 24f with several inches of accumulation expected.

Meanwhile further east in Texas we've skipped Spring and are straight into Summer for a day: highs in San Antonio a balmy 93f, with Laredo expected to reach 103f (which would match the latter city's record high for the month). These values are about 25-30f above average, and a sharp contrast to the couple of sub zero days San Antonio saw at the start of this month.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend, everyone.