Why the winters of 2024 and beyond will be warmer than usual!
Sarahi Giles Candela, Staff Writer
Well, Toronto, it looks like Mother Nature is treating us to a bit of a plot twist this winter. Instead of our usual routine of battling blizzards, frostbite, and losing feeling in our toes by November, we’re out here wondering if we need sunscreen instead of snow boots. I mean, who would’ve thought we’d be dusting off our ice skates and our beach towels at the same time? It’s like winter forgot to set its alarm clock this year and decided to snooze for a few more weeks. But hey, if this means we can keep sipping iced lattes and pretending it’s October for a little longer, who’s complaining.
According to the federal weather agency Ontario will experience warmer-than-usual temperatures from October to December, with Toronto specifically having a 75% likelihood of seeing above-average temperatures during that period. Mild weather is expected to continue throughout Ontario in the latter half of November, with temperatures getting closer to seasonal norms compared to earlier in the month. Given current trends, there’s a good chance that temperatures across the province will hover around typical seasonal levels through the end of November and into the first week of December.
Experts have noted unusually high temperatures since late October, which may be linked to the position of the jet stream—a band of powerful winds in the upper atmosphere.
However, experts do not expect this winter in Toronto to be as mild as last year, which was influenced by a “moderate to strong El Niño event” which is a climate phenomenon that occurs when sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean become unusually warm, particularly around the equator. This time around, more neutral conditions are anticipated due to normal or slightly cooler water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, which might still result in a milder-than-usual winter.
Winter in Toronto is like that one friend who’s always fashionably late—it’ll show up eventually, probably with a frosty attitude. Until then, let’s embrace this bonus fall weather, keep our mittens in standby mode, and enjoy pretending we’re in some kind of tropical Toronto vacation… just, you know, without the palm trees.
Photo Credit: Aiden Fung
