Toronto broke a temperature record as unseasonably warm weather hit Ontario

An unseasonably hot day hit parts of Ontario on Friday, breaking daily temperature records in several cities.

Toronto's Pearson International Airport hit 11 degrees at 10 a.m., setting a daily record of 10.6 degrees on the same day in 1938.

Daily temperature records have fallen across Canada this winter, reflecting what forecasters have warned will be a warmer winter due to a strong El Niño climate pattern combined with the effects of human-induced climate change.

“We've seen warm temperatures like this in February,” said Peter Kimbell, Ottawa-based Environment Canada's preparedness meteorologist.

“But the problem is that this continues the trend of very warm temperatures throughout the winter.”

Toronto was nearly five degrees warmer than average in December and 3.4 degrees above average last month, Kimbell said.

Temperatures at London Airport, which date back to 1941, soared to 12C by midday on Friday, surpassing last year's record high, according to Environment Agency data.

Ottawa reached 7.7 degrees as of 1 p.m. Friday, just above the daily record set by Kimbell in 1990.

David Phillips, a senior climatologist at Environment Canada, said sunny areas could be five to six degrees warmer than reported because temperatures are measured in the shade.

“I wouldn't be surprised if we see muscle shirts today,” he said.

While Friday's temperatures are more typical for spring, Phillips said models predict the second half of February will be seasonal.

The unseasonably warm weather in Canada has taken a toll.

Some First Nations in Manitoba and northern Ontario declared a state of emergency this week due to winter roads on which communities depend for supplies of firewood, food and construction materials.