Warmer holiday temperatures in Windsor area pleasing residents but breaking few records
Windsorites say they're relishing the warmer weather this holiday season after last year's blizzard-like conditions.
But a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada says the region hasn't set any significant records.
The temperature in Windsor reached just over 8 C on Christmas Eve and just over 12 C on Christmas Day, said Gerald Cheng.
That's well off the records of 13.2 C and 16.2 C for those days, set in 2015 and 1982 respectively — though he said it is also higher than the average daytime high for late December, which is zero.
"This is very characteristic of our Canadian winter because we see big fluctuations all the time," Cheng said.
Gerald Cheng is a meteorologist with Environment Canada. He says temperatures in the Windsor area will return to around freezing on New Year's Day. (Jacob Barker/CBC)
"Sometimes we see the warmer air masses win the battle; sometimes we see the very cold air masses win the battle. So it just happens that this time around, it's the mild air mass."
Windsorites told CBC News they're enjoying the warm weather.
"We like being outside whether it's cold or warm, but it's nice when it's a little bit more mild," said Sarah Fauteux, enjoying the weather with her daughter.
"We can stay out for longer."
Mark Bernesche called the temperature "unbelievable."
"A year ago, we had an ice storm, and it was freezing," he said.
"And then this year, Christmas Day, my wife was outside eating ice cream in a t-shirt, so I'm thinking, 'That's not a normal Christmas scene.'"
Windsor did break the record for the highest minimum temperature on Boxing Day this year, reaching 7.7 C.
That's more than three degrees warmer than the previous record of 4.4 C.
Temperatures are expected to cool off and return to seasonal averages around New Year's Day, Cheng said.
The agency is also forecasting snow flurries and little, if any, sun.
Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent headed into Christmas 2022 under blizzard warnings.
The storm brought heavy snowfall and wind gusts up to nearly 90 kilometres per hour while the temperature dropped as low as -17 C.
All flights out of Windsor International Airport were cancelled, and sections of highway in southwestern Ontario were closed due to multiple collisions.
