Spring's arrival Wednesday comes with above seasonal temperatures for much of southwestern Ontario.
The Spring Equinox officially begins at 5:58 p.m. Daytime temperatures are expected to be around 9 C, roughly three degrees higher than normal for this time of year.
The warmer weather is a much welcome change for area residents who have endured months of bone-chilling temperatures that prompted five separate cold weather alerts from the Middlesex London Health Unit. But while March appears to be going out on a mild note, April could still pack a wintry punch, warns Environment Canada Meteorologist Gerald Cheng.
"It's not Canada if it's not snowing somewhere, and that is especially true in April," said Cheng. "In April it is not unusual to get ice storms and snow storms in this part of the country... Put off putting away the shovels for now, just keep them handy for the time being, until we get out of April and are really out of the woods."
It was mid-April last year when the region was hit by an ice storm that brought damaging winds and knocked out power to 15,000 Hydro One customers, reminded Cheng.
He went on to reassure that even if there is a brief resurgence of winter-like weather, the worst of the snow, ice, and freezing temperatures are in the rear-view mirror.
"Bear with it for a little bit longer and patience is the key," said Cheng.
