Today is the coldest November 22nd on record

Winter won’t officially arrive for another month but it sure feels like it is already here.

The temperature at Pearson International Airport dipped to a low of – 13.3 C early Thursday morning, breaking a 29-year-old record for this date (-12.4 C).

Records also fell in 25 other locations across Ontario. In Oshawa the temperature reached a low of – 14.7 C overnight, beating a 31-year-old record. It was even colder at the Buttonville Airport in Markham where it dipped to – 15.4 C. That beat a 10-year-old record for this date.

As of 7 a.m. the temperature at Pearson International Airport had climbed just above the record-breaking mark at – 12 C but with the wind chill it felt closer to – 17.

The good news is that there is some relief on the way. The temperature won’t top – 5 C today but Environment Canada is forecasting a high of 3 C on Friday and highs of 5 C and 6 C on Saturday and Sunday.

An extreme cold weather alert issued by the city on Wednesday was in effect overnight but was lifted at around 8 a.m. as temperatures improved. It was just the second time in the last 10 years that such an alert had been issued in November.

“There is lots of sunshine today but it will not be enough to counteract those cold northerly winds,” CP24 Meteorologist Bill Coulter said on Thursday morning. “It is a beautiful day but it will be a frigid one and you are going to need to bundle up.”

The average daytime low for this time of year is – 1.8 C.