Record-high temps have people gardening in southern Ontario

Windsor, Ont., saw record-setting high temperatures on the weekend.

The mercury climbed to 16 C Saturday and Sunday, breaking records both days.

The previous record highs for Saturday and Sunday were 13.9 C set in 1946 and 13.2 C set in 1991, respectively.

The record-breaking weekend heat had some people out gardening again, even though Christmas is quickly approaching.

Jill Fysh manages a greenhouse and garden centre in Blenheim, Ont.

She says conditions are still good for planting bulbs or even trees, because the ground is not frozen.

"How many times could you say, 'I was weeding my garden two days ago?'" she said. "I've never weeded my garden in December."

She still recommends people take precautions to protect sensitive plants for the winter.

Temperatures are expected to fall back a few degrees Monday afternoon, so the Dec. 14 record of 15.6, set in 1975, appears to be safe.

El Nino to blame

The current El Nino weather phenomenon over the Pacific Ocean is expected to peak between October and January and could turn into one of the strongest on record.

As a result, Windsor just experienced the mildest November since 2011.

So don't expect a white Christmas next week, Environment Canada says.

Meteorologist Geoff Coulson said temperatures between Thursday and Sunday will be more seasonal before the mercury climbs again in the days leading up to Christmas.

"From Dec. 21 on, it looks like another shot of mild air," Coulson said. "Any [snow] we would have had would melt and it doesn't look like we'll get any fresh snow between then and Christmas Day."