This week's brief blast of winter cold not only interrupted the balmy spring temperatures — it also shattered two cold weather records.

The low at Hamilton airport on Tuesday was –6.2 C. That's the coldest temperature recorded in Hamilton on any April 16 since the Hamilton airport weather station began its monitoring in 1959. The previous benchmark was –5.6 C, recorded on April 15, 1963.

Another record was broken around 5 a.m. on Wednesday, when temperatures fell to –8 C. That shattered the previous record for April 16, –5 C, measured on that date in 1980.

But the frigid temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday look to be but a blip in the spring warm-up. Values are expected to rise about the zero mark later on Wednesday, with mostly sunny skies and a high of 4 C in store for the day. A low of –3 C is in the forecast for the overnight period.

Then a warming trend starts. Environment Canada says double-digit temperatures are in store for Thursday and Friday, with a mix of sun and cloud and a high of 12 C in the forecast for both days.

A high of 16 C and a 40 per cent chance of rain are in the forecast for Saturday.