Residents in Amherstburg, Ontario, will see a break from the bitter cold starting Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, as Environment Canada forecasts daytime highs of +1°C on Monday and +4°C on Tuesday, Feb. 10. The two-day warmup will be the first time temperatures climb above freezing in weeks; local meteorologists and municipal officials say it will bring an end to what they are calling the town’s longest cold snap in over a decade.
The shift follows a grueling stretch of sub‑zero temperatures that began in mid‑January and persisted for nearly 15 days, according to local meteorological reports and the research briefing. Meteorologists attribute the warming to a change in the polar jet stream that is allowing warmer Pacific air to push into southern Ontario and displace the Arctic air mass that has been stalled over the Great Lakes.
The change provides relief for homeowners worried about high heating bills and the risk of frozen pipes. It comes after natural gas rate increases implemented by Enbridge Gas (effective Jan. 1, 2026) — changes that were processed through the Ontario Energy Board’s rate-setting framework — which raised residential bills modestly at the start of the year.
While the warmth is welcome, local officials are watching the Detroit River waterfront closely as the ice begins to melt. Great Lakes ice coverage exceeded 40 percent in late January, according to reporting by The Detroit News, and a rapid thaw could increase the risk of ice jams or localized flooding along Amherstburg’s shorelines.
The Town of Amherstburg Public Works is asking residents to help prevent flooding by clearing ice and debris from street drains and catch basins near their homes. Safety officials, including the local harbour master, are also warning people to stay off the river ice at King’s Navy Yard Park, as shore and shelf ice can become very unpredictable during a rapid warmup.
