The first prolonged deep freeze of the year appears to be over, at least temporarily.

The extreme cold weather alert that was first issued on Wednesday will be terminated as of noon, according to Toronto’s medical officer of health.

The lifting of the alert comes amid a brief reprieve that will see temperatures rise to – 2 C on Friday before dropping to – 6 C overnight and hovering around – 5 C on Saturday.

Those temperatures may still seem pretty cold but they do represent a slight uptick after the temperature dropped to – 16 C earlier this week.

More frigid cold could be on the way, though, as Environment Canada is forecasting a low of – 13 C on Saturday night. The forecast for Sunday calls for a high of – 4 C with a chance of flurries.

Extreme cold weather alerts are usually issued whenever the temperatures are forecast to reach -15 C or colder, or when the wind chill is forecast to reach -20 or colder.

They trigger extra shelter spaces for the homeless and other cold-weather related services.