Luck of the Irish blesses St. Patrick's Day forecast in the Ottawa Valley
It was a near picture perfect St. Patrick's Day weather wise in Ottawa and the valley on Thursday.
Blue skies and golden sunshine beamed down on those dressed in green, with temperatures hitting the high teens in Renfrew.
That's where Dragonfly Golf Links' driving range opened for the season.
"It was beautiful weather I saw in the forecast and we thought why not, let's do it for our golf fans," Chris Needham, General Manager at Dragonfly told CTV News Ottawa.
"It's fantastic. Everybody has been cooped up all winter so we are just all excited to get out and hit some golf balls. I don't care if I shank 45 in a row, I'm outside swinging a golf club," Needham said.
Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Will Vincent stopped by Dragonfly on his lunch break Thursday.
"I'd rather be out here than eating lunch," said the golfer, who can't remember a St. Patrick's Day with weather this nice. "How many times can you say you're taking your lunch break on St. Paddy's Day to hit golf balls?"
The balmy Thursday in March, a preview of what's to come according to Environment Canada.
"The good news is that it's an extended period, not just a one-day wonder," senior climatologist David Phillips says. "But we see all week temperatures that are well above the melting mark."
But as green of a day as it turned out to be on the range and along patios and streets, there is a warning that snow is still expected in the forecast.
Environment Canada says roughly 10 percent of Ottawa's annual snowfall comes after the turn of the season into spring.
"We can't write the final chapter on snow yet," Phillips says. "[Ottawa has] had only three Aprils in 75 years that have not seen snow in Ottawa. So we know that's coming."
For Vincent, it's a worry for another time. On Thursday's lunch hour, he was just searching for the bottom of his bucket of balls.
"Yeah, we'll go back to work after this but you take advantage of the weather when you can right," Vincent said. "So we'll go back in an hour to work, but now we'll hit some balls."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.