Posted by: @stargazer

After a brief cold spell, we're back in the warm El Nino pattern. It's been extremely foggy all week, with zero visibility at times in rural areas.

Ditto here, although our cold spell was a bit more than brief, including a few days of full-on snow and more days of flurries. Very cold, to be sure. But since then (earlier this past week), the temperature has warmed up to above freezing, bringing much fog, and, in the past day, a lot of rain. C'mon, this is January! Because we had a good deal of snow, though, thankfully it has not all melted. There are now some green patches, but there is still plenty of the white stuff on the ground.

However, because the ground is frozen, all the rain we received (up to 25 mms in some areas / 1") had no place to go, so there is flooding and ponding many places. Some streets are closed off, typically those which are at a lower elevation. Toronto, I heard, had huge flooding issues.

After tomorrow's 6C / nearly 43F, the temperature drops again for next week, hovering near freezing during the days and just below freezing at night. Toward the end of the week, another colder spell settles in.

Posted by: @stargazer

Last year at this time we'd had close to 60 inches/1525mm of snow, but this year everything is missing us and we've had barely 10% of that amount.

That is quite something, and disappointing for winter, isn't it?

Well, after a few months—yes, months—of not having a completely clear day or night from beginning to end, later today is clearing, so this evening on my walk, I should be able to view the entire starry night sky spread out, sparkling and crisp. Again, I will need to reorient myself as to where everything is above me! It will be right around freezing at that time (6-7 pm), so this should be a beautiful walk. Tomorrow morning when I walk (6-7 am), the temperature will be -6C / 21.2F, with a slight windchill, making it feel -8C / 17.6F. For me, pretty much perfect brisk-walking weather!

Saturday and Sunday are forecast to be completely clear, both days and nights, so, again, more stunning pre-dawn and post-dusk walks are in store. Monday through Thursday next week are a mixture of sun and cloud, with daytime temps between 0C and +5F / 41F. However, I will be glad for a bit of cloud to return because it makes the sunrises and sunsets so much better! And I will still be able to see a fair bit of the night sky, as it won't be completely cloud-covered, as has been the case here since pretty much near the end of November. Nighttimes next week will be beautiful, hovering between -4 to -7C (24.8  to 19.4F).

No significant snow is forecast for the next week, but we here are hoping that will correct itself as February moves forward. We still have large patches of the white stuff around, which looks quite cool intermingled with the green-ish spots.

Wiarton Willie here in Ontario did not see his shadow, so the (usually wrong ) prediction is an early spring here in Ontario. But I have seen a pattern over the years that if we have a milder winter than usual, we often have a later spring, as we can receive some super-duper snowstorms all March, and even early April on rare occasion. So, thanks Willie, Groundhog Day is a fun tradition, but I do not believe a word—or, rather, a (non) shadow—of it.  

All things considered, the weather seems pretty mild for this time of year in Southern Ontario.  However, I just returned from a week in Mexico so it's still a bit of a shock to the system!

I'd forgotten that you are in Ontario too, @glenwit.  So, did you miss those massively rain-drenched days a week ago? I think a few records were set for having that much rain in January here! Imagine if that was all snow!!! (I hope you had a lovely holiday in Mexico!) 

EDIT three hours later: it does not look like any clearing will come early this evening. We shall see if it happens tomorrow.  

EDIT two hours after that: the sky cleared just before my walk at 6 pm. A huge cloud mass moved away (it was beautiful, in and of itself!) to reveal a gradually darkening sky with masses of stars. Ooooh, SO good to see them again!  

A groundhog would have seen his shadow here this morning (and I was glad to catch Venus before sunrise for only the second time this year), but people here are starting to write off this winter as far as recreation is concerned. To be sure, we will no doubt go below 0F again, and probably get a few more feet of snow, but it's going to be hard for those businesses to catch up on what they've already lost this season (on the other hand, golf courses are doing brisk business).

The high January 31 was 55F/13C, smashing the previous record and marking the third highest temperature on record for any January day here, going back 150 years. Whew! International Falls, several hours north of here on the Canadian border, recorded its first 50F/10C ever in any January that same day.

Also, we have already exceeded the record number of days of 50F/10C or higher for meteorological winter (December through February), with more of them predicted for this month. However, models indicate a cool spell coming around Valentine's Day. We'll see!

What a weird summer we have had this year. In September & October it was quite dry, and the number of bushfires were terrifying. Yes, it has been as hot as 39C or 40C, in some days in December and January, and muggy, stuffy weather as well. A day or two of this heat usually ends up with a storm, or a quite healthily heavy rain shower. It is like the El Niño we were expecting has relapsed into another La Niña. In three weeks' time it will start to be autumn. 

@johobbit: Well, after a few months—yes,months—of not having a completely clear day or night from beginning to end, later today is clearing, so this evening on my walk, I should be able to view the entire starry night sky spread out, sparkling and crisp.

So far, we have had many days of cloudy weather, too. Maybe that is partly due to residue from some volcano or other. There was one in Iceland only recently. and a year ago there was the Honga Tonga Volcano, down in the Pacific. 

Posted by: @stargazer

people here are starting to write off this winter as far as recreation is concerned

That is so disappointing! Here too, except for those few weeks awhile back when we had a fairly significant fall of snow, which then lasted while due to the cold temps. But now that has all changed, to the point where yesterday hit a record of 11.4C / 52.5F, and that was only at 10 a.m. I know the temperature rose a bit higher than that mid-day ... not in our area, but various places in southern Ontario. This surpassed the previous record of 10.6C / 51F set back in 1938, 86 years ago. The patches of snow that were around are quickly melting. 

This coming week, however, is to be much more seasonal, beginning tonight: around freezing most days, and dropping to between -5 and -8C (23 and 17.6F) at nights, with flurries very possible Tuesday through Thursday. Hopefully we will get a couple (at least) of good snowstorms yet! 

Aren't those mild temperatures something else for February in our corners of the world?!

Are you looking forward to Autumn, @waggawerewolf27? (For me, it is definitely a favourite season.) Those bushfires sound awful.  

@johobbit: Are you looking forward to Autumn,@waggawerewolf27? (For me, it is definitely a favourite season.) Those bushfires sound awful.

Indeed, those bushfires which sprang up across NSW did sound awful, last Spring, and I am glad the inferno that we seemed to be promised, didn't actually eventuate. Victoria had a horrible time with bushfires in 2009, and also in 1983, along with South Australia, suffered the 16th of February Ash Wednesday bushfires, which to this day, are remembered with horror. Nothing can rival the terrible conditions of the black summer of 2019-2020, when there were bushfires from southern Queensland to Mallacoota on the Victorian/NSW border, and which swung around to affect Kangaroo Island, off the South Australian coastline. 

Yes, Autumn can be milder in Australia, though as my Scottish-born husband says, Australia doesn't have quite so clearly, the well-defined seasons people expect in places like UK or North America.  But I will finally breathe a sigh of relief, next week, when we are past that Ash Wednesday date, and can get along with our lives, looking forward to Easter, this year. And saying so, I wonder what Easter is like in the Northern Hemisphere?

This has been such a mild winter here in Michigan. It was 60 degrees F two days ago.  And we have had mostly sunny weather the last two days, which is quite unusual for February.  I think colder weather is coming soon, and I am sure we will get more snow before the winter is over. The weather almost seems too nice for this time of the year. 

Posted by: @waggawerewolf27

Nothing can rival the terrible conditions of the black summer of 2019-2020, when there were bushfires from southern Queensland to Mallacoota on the Victorian/NSW border, and which swung around to affect Kangaroo Island, off the South Australian coastline. 

...

Australia doesn't have quite so clearly, the well-defined seasons people expect in places like UK or North America. ... And saying so, I wonder what Easter is like in the Northern Hemisphere?

Oh my, wagga, that sounds terrifying!  

I did not realize that Australia does not experience the well-defined seasons as we have here in Canada (according to your husband ), interesting!

Easter: it depends when it falls—March or April. It is right on the cusp this year (March 29 - April 1). It can be quite cold, even with snow, or it can be very mild. But usually it indicates spring is not that far away, although we can receive snowfalls in April, and even early May, at times. What is Easter usually like in your corner of the world?

Posted by: @narnian78

The weather almost seems too nice for this time of the year.

Which means winter isn't done with us here in the north yet! Being a winter person big-time, I am really missing our typical Ontario winter, which usually means lots of snow!

This week is nicer for us than last week, which was far too warm for this time of year. We have daytime temperatures hovering around freezing, and nighttime temps anywhere from -3C to -9C (26.6F to 17.6F), with some windchills in there, and a good chance of flurries and even accumulating snow three days of the next seven, especially tomorrow and Thursday. Grrrreat walking weather (for me)!

I found a chart from Environment Canada on the record-setting temperatures from last Friday, Feb. 9. Astounding! We are the closest to the London stats (4 minutes west of us).

@jo 

I think I live at about the same latitude here in Michigan (43 degrees north) as your latitude in Canada.  We usually get a lot of snow from being so close to Lake Michigan, although there aren’t a lot of subzero temperatures except sometimes in January. I am glad that winter doesn’t last forever, although I kind of enjoy the snow before and during Christmas (as long as it doesn’t cause problems for driving). But it is kind of nice when the weather warms up for walking in spring.  🙂

At 45 north I'm not much farther north than either @jo or @Narnian78, but am inland far enough to not have moderating influence of a large body of water (like the Great Lakes).

In a typical year, we have about the same number of nights below 0F (-17C) as we do days of 90F (32C) or above. But this winter is far from typical!

Right now it's 41F (5C), but rain turning to snow is expected by this evening, with up to 5 inches (125mm) expected. It's a sign of how dry this winter has been that this storm is getting so much attention.

Did the snow come, as predicted, @stargazer? Here it sure did, and it's still lightly snowing now. We have received 5-6", and it is so lovely seeing everything covered in a pristine blanket of white again. Which it should be this time of year! 

It is quite cold out. Towards the end of next week, temperatures barely climb above freezing, but until then the temp is a good bit below freezing, with fairly strong wind chills, keeping that snow here for a few days, at least. Solid cloud cover helps the snow stay too, and that certainly is the case for the next few days, with maybe a slight glimpse of the sun now and then, but not enough to start melting anything. I love the coziness of this type of weather: whether inside or outside, there is something really appealing to me about a lovely snowy winter landscape.

My family was skiing in the Laurentian mountains (Mont Tremblant, Québec) this past week. Now, they get real winter there! The snow base on the mountains was a couple of metres, at least. The mountainous, evergreen-laden, snowy scenery -> absolutely gorgeous. 

Right now, at 7:20 am on Friday here, there is light snow falling, almost as if in slow-motion. Many are those bigger flakes that are always wonderfully picturesque.

Now, as we head towards March, we shall see what winter holds for us in the next month or so.  

We did indeed get some snow, @jo! I'm in a southwest suburb of the Twin Cities now (keeping an eye on some friends' pets while they travel), and the flakes fell fast and furious the evening of February 14. Even with the ground being warm, we accumulated 6.9 inches (175mm) here, prompting quite a few accidents (perhaps because people are out of practice in winter driving this year).

It almost doubled the season snowfall to date, but we are still 20.3 inches (516mm) below the average. Quite a change from the record-setting snowfall last winter!

It is quite pretty outside, and rather cool (temperature 16F/-9C), but the sun angle is getting high enough now to help dry out the pavement where the snow was shoveled. Highs are expected to return recent warmth next week, once again approaching 45F/8C. This snow will not last long.

That ski area sounds gorgeous, Jo! I love snow-covered mountains (from a distance, at least 😉 Driving in those conditions is another story).

We're in the last 2 weeks of summer, and we've had a lot of warm, dry weather. My poor garden is dry, although every evening I water all the flower and vegetable beds. I have bushes along the low front wall, and one seems to have died. 

Today is overcast- except for a low strip of blue  northwards and westwards. This indicates a strong Northwest wind later, when the cloud will lift in an arch in the NW. This is our famous Nor-wester wind. 

With the fire on the hills still being put out, this warm wind is not helpful. 

Two more weeks and autumn will be creeping in!