The sun came out in a big way Tuesday and these Londoners made the most of it

Londoners were treated to nearly a full day of sunshine on Valentine's Day, including Heyab Gyesus and Natasha Fontenelle, who were out enjoying a picnic at London's Victoria Park.

"The weather was really nice outside today, which is rare for February, so we had to come out and enjoy it," Gyesus said. "Sunshine is such a good mood booster, and for me, it signifies wanting to get outside and be active."

Although temperatures in southwestern Ontario have been milder than usual, sunshine has become a scarce commodity this winter. So when the sun made a grand appearance on Tuesday, Londoners were out and about with big smiles on their faces.

It's definitely nice to have the bright sun and warmer weather," Fontenelle said. "This winter was pretty grey, like it was mild but there was just so much rain, slush, and grey skies, so I found it to be a lot harder than other winters."

She's not the only one. A lack of exposure to sunlight makes Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) quite common this time of year, according to Michelle Phillips of the Thames Valley chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association.

"In those darker, colder months where we don't get as much sunlight exposure and might be more isolated can have an impact on individuals' moods," she said. 

To combat low morale on gloomy days, Phillips suggests people find time for wintertime hobbies which can help with leisure play and building a social connection with others, she said, adding that increasing Vitamin D consumption can also help with lack of sunlight exposure. 

Brian Zylstra and Dana Hamilton spend a lot of their time outdoors, looking after the forestry at Victoria Park. They say that warm, sunny days like this also make doing their jobs a lot easier.

"We're climbing the trees all the time, so there's no moisture or bark on them, so it makes them easier to climb, and it makes a big difference. But on days when it's colder, you have to put more clothes on and are restricted in your movement," Zylstra said. 

Temperatures reached a high of 7 C on Tuesday, and are predicted to rise to the mid-teens on Wednesday. The warmest Feb. 15 on record was in 1954, with a high of 11.7 C, but that record could break this year, said Environment Canada meteorologist Gerald Cheng. 

"These are certainly not normal temperatures because the normal high should be around -1 C, and night-time lows should be around -9 C, so we're really far away from those," he said. 

But don't get used to that because temperatures are expected to drop by the end of the week, Cheng advises. 

"I'm looking at a downward trend, and we won't see these mild temperatures again for at least the next 14 days, which will take us out of February, so we will get back to winter mode," he said.

Although warmer weather is in store for Wednesday, there is a chance of showers and winds gusting up to 80 kilometres. But Londoners are still rejoicing Tuesday's mostly sunny day.