Toronto could see blast of winter weather by end of week

People make their way on plowed paths in the frigid temperatures outside city hall in Toronto on Monday, January 20, 2014. (Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

While the mercury is expected to climb to above seasonal norms on Remembrance Day, Environment Canada says snow is on the horizon by the end of the week.

On Tuesday, the daytime high is expected to be 14 C in Toronto. By Thursday and Friday, however, there is a 30 per cent chance of flurries.

"(Tuesday) is going to be six degrees warmer than normal, and by the end of the week, we will see temperatures that are six degrees cooler than normal," Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips said.

Snow is also expected on Sunday, when the national weather agency says there is a 40 per cent chance of flurries.

But the snow is not expected to linger. Phillips said while winter has arrived early, there is still hope that it will be a milder than normal season.

"The important thing is this: Just because it has come a little early, doesn’t mean it is going to stay put," he said. "We are still holding out for the fact that this winter will be much milder than last winter."

Across Canada, winter has already arrived, leaving behind as much as 15 centimetres of snow in Calgary.

Temperatures also plummeted in other parts of Western Canada. The mercury fell to a low of -16 C in Edmonton, -12 C in Regina, -13 C in Saskatoon, and -8 C in Winnipeg.