The area's longest extreme cold snap in decades stretching from late 2017 into early 2018 finally came to a close Sunday.
Environment Canada ended its prolonged extreme cold warning as well as the snow squall warning that shut down Hwy. 402 from Hwy. 401 to Watford for three days.
Bitterly cold Arctic air has dominated southern Ontario's weather since Christmas with dangerous wind chills nearing -35 C (-31 F) the last few days.
The Canadian Automobile Association handled a flood of dead battery calls and Sarnia city works crews were kept busy fixing broken water mains like the one that turned Christina St. N. into a frozen lake late last week.
The Canadian Coast Guard was called in to break ice jams on the St. Clair River that hampered freighter traffic and grounded ferry service.
Northwest winds became south-southwesterly Saturday night and temperatures were gradually moderating Sunday with the mercury in Sarnia to rise to -1 C (30 F) by Monday morning.
The return to seasonal temperatures however is coming with periods of snow and possibly some freezing drizzle Sunday night into Monday morning.
Environment Canada is predicting accumulations of 5 cm to 10 cm (2 - 4 inch) with local blowing snow in gusty southwest winds Sunday evening.
Temperatures at or above normal seasonal values are forecast through much of the second week of 2018.
