October was unseasonably warm in Waterloo region, weather station reports
The University of Waterloo weather station says daily highs were three degrees above average, with two days breaking records.
KITCHENER · The University of Waterloo E.D. Soulis Memorial Weather Station reported an unusually warm October in the region. Daily high temperatures were three degrees above the monthly average, according to its monthly report. The month featured both record-breaking warmth and the season's first frost. The overall temperature for October was more than one and a half degrees above average, the station said.
Two days during the month, October 13 and October 29, broke records for warmth. Peter Kimbell, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, cautioned against expecting the mild weather to last. "I mean, it is mid-October. I think we're into sweater territory right now," Kimbell told CBC News on Oct. 13. He added, "I hate to say it, but the white stuff is not too far away."
The first sub-zero temperature of the fall was recorded at 3:45 a.m. on October 21. That date is about a week later than the average first frost in the station's nearly 30-year history. The station defines the growing season as the period between the last spring frost and the first fall frost. This year's growing season lasted 162 days, which is very close to the average of 160 days. Precipitation for October totaled 68 millimetres, falling below the monthly average of 78 mm. Much of the month was relatively dry, though about half of the total rain fell in the first two days. Despite the drier October, the year 2026 has so far seen above-average precipitation. The station has recorded 867.9 mm so far this year, well above the average of 750.6 mm.
Environment and Climate Change Canada forecasts above-normal temperatures for southern Ontario from November through January. The current El Niño phenomenon, a warming of the central Pacific Ocean, may contribute to the warmer winter. This pattern influences global weather and drives up temperatures worldwide. Warm temperatures are expected to continue in Waterloo region for the next few days.
With files from CBC News