This weekend will be warmer than usual in Thunder Bay, but expect some rain

Thunder Bay residents may want to keep their umbrellas handy if they're heading out this weekend.

The unseasonably warm temperatures are expected to continue over the weekend, said Barbara Lapido, operational meteorologist with Environment Canada.

Lapido said while the normal daytime high for the city this time of year is -8 C (with overnight lows of -19 C), temperatures have been well above that, reaching a high of 3 C on Friday afternoon.

"It's going to be about 0 with rain at least till Saturday night, Sunday morning, when we could have a little bit of mix with snow, but it's going to be, again, mainly rain because the temperatures are going to remain close to 0."

Lapido said the temperatures are being kept warm by humid air flowing up from the United States.

But temperatures will be back to normal soon enough.

"During the week, the temperature is going to slowly start to drop again, two or three degrees, decreasing every day," Lapido said. "By Wednesday, Thursday we are going to be around normal again."

The City of Thunder Bay officially opened its outdoor rinks on Dec. 20.

On Friday, the city's outdoor rinks map showed all rinks were open despite the warm temperatures.

However, the city noted that "ice conditions can change quickly throughout the season, leading to unexpected closures."