toronto weather cold

Polar vortex about to sweep through Toronto with icy-cold temperatures

The unseasonably warm, record-breaking heat Toronto has enjoyed through early October will come to a crashing halt this Thanksgiving weekend, with temperatures expected to plummet to the near-freezing mark in the coming days.

Forecasts call for wet snow in parts of Ontario over the Thanksgiving weekend, and while Toronto was initially expected to see snow as early as next week, the city will be spared from a winter preview for at least the next several days.

It is going to get really cold, really fast, though, with daytime highs dropping by a full 15 degrees C between Friday and Thanksgiving Monday, when the mercury is expected to plunge to a high of just 10 degrees.

Sunday night will mark the coldest point of the season for Toronto thus far, with an overnight low of just 3 C that will feel like near-freezing for anyone taking advantage of the extended weekend with a late night on the town.

The Weather Network reports, "Northwesterly winds will also bring a much more definite autumn chill province-wide as this system stalls over the northeast, moving backwards rather than a typical eastward track."

Toronto may have lucked out in the snow department, but the city is about to experience an abrupt leap from summer-like highs to the bone-chilling, rainy autumn weather that will make you remember that Guns N' Roses song from the '90s.

Patches of on-and-off rain will persist throughout next week, with temperatures jumping back up towards seasonal values and into the mid-teens as the week progresses.

Even that reprieve from the cold will be short-lived, as meteorologists predict another cold front will push into the region as early as late next week and bring another drop in temperatures.

Lead photo by

David Farrant


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

What's open and closed on Victoria Day 2024 in Toronto

The breathtaking Mast Trail in Toronto follows a 200-year-old logging route

Moore Park Ravine is an escape from the city in midtown Toronto

The history of what was once Toronto's grandest mansion

This is how Toronto celebrated Victoria Day over 100 years ago

You can take in breathtaking valley views along the Vista Rouge Trail in Toronto

Downsview Park in Toronto is a massive urban park around an artificial lake

Canada is seeing one of the worst standard-of-living declines in 40 years