THUNDER BAY -- If record-breaking warm weather has you convinced spring is here, you may want to keep your winter tires on.
So far January 2013 has delivered the city mild temperatures -- an average of -8C to be exact. That`s significantly warmer than the typical Thunder Bay January, which features an average closer to -14C.
And it`s about to get even warmer. If the most recent Environment Canada weather forecast holds up, the city could be in for a 6C day on Thursday.
Environment Canada spokesman Geoff Coulson said a persistent flow in the upper atmosphere coming from the southwest has contributed to the warmer weather not only for Northwestern Ontario but also for much of the province.
“We’ve been running a much milder than normal for the last few days,” Coulson said during a phone interview from his office in Toronto.
“Tuesday, for example, is forecasted to get as high as zero degrees where the normal high for this time is -9C so we’re well above what we should be at this time of the year and potentially getting into record territory on Thursday. By Monday and Tuesday, we’re looking at returning to day time highs of -10C and -11C.”
Coulson said the city should also expect a series of storm systems starting on Friday and ending on Sunday. Each of the systems has a potential of bringing snow to the city.
He added once the last of these systems have moved through late Sunday it’s expected that a cold front will move through and that should return the province to more seasonal temperatures.
Traditionally, January is the coldest month of the year for this city.
In January 2012, the temperature was warmer with an average of -9C.
The warmest on record in January was set in 1944 with an average of -7C, which is only one degree warmer than our current average temperature for this month that is now just about eight days old.
Following are some weather statistics from Environment Canada showing the average temperature and average high for the city in January since 2003:
| Year | Average Temperature | Average High |
| 2003 | -13.6 | -8 |
| 2004 | -18.8 | -12.8 |
| 2005 | -17 | -9.3 |
| 2006 | -7.7 | -2.3 |
| 2007 | -11.5 | -5.6 |
| 2008 | -12.2 | -6.5 |
| 2009 | -17.3 | -10.5 |
| 2010 | -12 | -6.7 |
| 2011 | -16.8 | -10.7 |
| 2012 | -9.9 | --4.5 |
