GTA residents enjoy warmer Good Friday as they brace for heavy rainfalls over weekend

A cyclist rides against traffic on Front Street as temperatures reached highs of 18 degrees Celsius in parts of the GTA and Quebec, in Toronto, Friday, April 3, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Giordano Ciampini

If you enjoy outdoor activities, Friday was your day.

The Greater Toronto Area was expected to see high of 18 C on Good Friday before the temperature starts dropping over the Easter weekend into early next week with a low of -4 C in the forecast for Tuesday.

So, many Ontarians flocked to places to enjoy a warm and half-sunny day, like Lakeview Park Beach in Oshawa, Ont., Friday morning, before the heavy rainfall expected Saturday.

Some walked dogs, others watched over their children in the playground, and some sat on benches overlooking the waves hitting the shorelines of Lake Ontario.

Among them was Hollie Manners, who walked her dog at the park. She said she is planning her day in a way to maximally take advantage of the brief respite ---after a painfully cold and long winter.

“It was hard, and it was heavy mentally,” she said. “So, that’s why today I’m getting out as much as I can because it’s been a like mentally exhausting winter for sure.”

Manners said she has to walk her dog every day, even during the bone-chilling cold throughout the winter. “But today was the first time I enjoyed it because the weather is so much nicer,” she said.

She said she was planning to go to a pet expo, and then she might tidy up outside of her house after her morning walk.

Another park visitor Abigail Grimes, a writer and poet, said she was there not only to enjoy the day, but also to find an inspiration for her next poem.

“It gets to shake off the winter blues and maybe the muse is out here somewhere and, you know, get inspired by the birds and the sun and the sound of the waves on the shore,” she said.

“It is a beautiful day and ...I am sure I will be inspired by something I see or hear here.”

Grimes said the day felt even more pleasant than the actual forecast because she could see the sun shining in the sky. “It’s supposed to pour rain tomorrow, so you got to take advantage while you can,” she said.

Environment Canada warns of heavy rainfall amounts of 25 to 50 millimetres in much of southern Ontario, including in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas over the weekend.

“A Colorado low will bring heavy rain to the area. The heaviest rain is expected to fall Saturday evening and Saturday night, with locally higher amounts possible in thunderstorms,” it said.

The weather agency also issued a special weather alert for parts of northern Ontario where some areas could be buried under up to 30 centimetres of snow.

“Travel will likely be challenging. Roads and walkways will likely be difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow. Visibility will likely be reduced at times,” it said.

Ontario Provincial Police said several road closures were in effect in northern parts of the province due to severe weather conditions Friday morning.

In Quebec, a mix of rain, snow, and freezing rain is expected across much of province Friday and could continue through the Easter weekend, warned Environment Canada.

Snowfall of 15 to 35 centimetres is forecast in northern and eastern regions of Quebec like Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Charlevoix, Côte-Nord, and Bas-Saint-Laurent, while freezing rain could make roads slippery in southern areas of the province.

In Oshawa, however, many marked Friday as end of the winter and the beginning of spring.

Navaneetha Krishnan Duraisamy, who came to the park with his friends, said the winter has been depressing for him because he spent it mostly indoors, and he was glad he could finally spend a day outside without layering himself with heavy winter clothing.

“I just put the hoodie in the car so that I can walk with fun,” he said.

“It’s Canadian weather. It’s unpredictable,” he said. “But it’s going to be good in a couple of weeks, so hopefully, it’s going to be a good summer as well.”

With files from Charlotte Glorieux in Montreal

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2026.