Are fluctuating temperatures here to stay this winter? [Video]

Waterloo Region residents traded snow boots for raincoats this weekend as temperatures soared above seasonal norms.

“These temperatures kind of drew us out today,” said Kitchener resident, Ryan McDonald. “I saw that it was nine degrees and we were like, ‘okay, let’s go for a nice walk through the park.’”

The melting snow, combined with a downpour of rain, has swollen rivers and streams across the Grand River watershed, resulting in a flood warning from the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA).

A photo of the Grand River in Cambridge amidst a warm snap, Dec. 29, 2024. (Hannah Schmidt/CTV News)“It absolutely is not the normal,” said Jaclyn Whittal, a meteorologist and climate change journalist with The Weather Network. “It seems like it’s becoming the new normal. If you look back at the last 10 to 20 years, I think that we’ve seen more of these warm spells in and around …