OTTAWA -- The bitter cold and nasty wind chills of Tuesday are a thing of the past. No "coldest national capital in the world" for Ottawa today! The forecast is relatively mild.

Environment Canada is predicting a cloudy Wednesday with a 40 per cent chance of flurries and a high of 2C, about three degrees warmer than the average for this time of year.

The morning is already much warmer than it was 24 hours before. It was minus 5C with a wind chill of minus 8 at the Ottawa Airport Wednesday at 7 a.m. On Tuesday, the 7 a.m. temperature was minus 19C with a wind chill of minus 30. For several hours on Tuesday, Ottawa's recorded temperature during the day was the lowest among national capital cities across the globe, including Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, where it was late at night. 

Ottawa also saw 6.4 cm of snow Tuesday, mostly late in the evening.

The milder weather on Wednesday won't last, however. The overnight low is expected to drop to around minus 14C, with a wind chill of minus 19. The typical low is closer to minus 10.

Thursday is looking sunny, but the high is only expected to reach minus 7C.

Friday's forecast includes a few clouds and a high of minus 5C.