This is no April Fools' joke – Ontarians may have to fish out their winter parkas, hats and gloves this weekend.
According to Environment Canada, the first weekend of April will feel more like what southern Ontario residents might expect in February, with rain showers and possible snow flurries forecast in the Greater Toronto Area, where temperatures are expected to hit a low of -10 C overnight Saturday and a high of -1 C on Sunday.
Below-normal temperatures are also expected in parts of Manitoba, Quebec and the Maritimes beginning this weekend and continuing into early next week.
"This is just Mother Nature returning some of the cool Arctic air that was missing in action this winter," Environment Canada's senior climatologist David Phillips told CP24 on Friday.
He noted that Toronto typically sees about 5 centimetres of snow in April.
"We may see more snow this weekend than we had in all of December this year," Phillips said, noting that this past winter was the warmest on record in Toronto.
But those worried about April's chilly start may be pleased to learn that the national weather agency is actually forecasting a milder-than-normal spring.
"We think that from mid-April on, spring will be warmer than normal," Phillips said.
In its seasonal forecast, Environment Canada is predicting above-normal temperatures for April, May and June throughout much of Canada.
Phillips said the warmer weather is likely to continue into the summer.
"Just because we've had a non-winter -- a balmy, soft winter – it doesn't mean summer is going to be cold," he added.
