Sudbury May snowfall 'extraordinary,' meterologist says

Those in Sudbury may have had a few choice words when waking up Friday morning after a snowfall overnight.

"For those who thought that winter's over, not quite yet," Gerald Cheng, a meteorologist with Environment Canada said.

Cheng says 8 cm of snow fell on Thursday. That amount broke the previous record set in 1983 of 2.4 cm.

On Friday, Cheng says another 2 cm had fallen by midday. He says snow in northern Ontario in May isn't unusual, but this amount is.

"Snow this late in the season, not as much usually," he said. "Certainly, this is extraordinary."

And as for how long the winter-like weather will last, Cheng says it will stay cool until the long weekend when average temperatures are expected to return. That would mean daytime highs of 16 degrees and overnight lows around plus 4.

"Right now, we're nowhere near that," he said.

"Patience is key and certainly we have to wait a bit until temperatures go back to more acceptable values."

Cheng says if you've already started doing yard work and gardening, to check overnight lows.

"You certainly don't want your hard work to go to waste," he said. "If necessary, bring those plants inside."