Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring

It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.

It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary.

From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.

Forecasts show that as a mix of weather systems drifts east from the Prairies in the coming days, Ontarians can expect to vacillate between temperatures as low as below freezing to well into the 20s.

Meanwhile, parts of Newfoundland and Labrador could see freezing rain and snow this week, as the leading edge of the system brings storms across Atlantic Canada.

As of Wednesday, Environment Canada has issued freezing rain alerts along the east coast from Great Harbour Deep, Newfoundland, north to Cape Porcupine, Labrador. Further north, in the Postville and Makkovik area, a blowing snow advisory is in effect.

As for Ontario, Toronto and regions of Niagara and Windsor-Essex-Chatham-Kent are all under frost advisories overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning, warning residents to protect their frost-sensitive plants and trees. By the weekend, temperatures are primed to rise steeply, with Windsor and Toronto at 24 and 22 degrees, respectively, on Sunday.

"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."