Glacier FarmMedia — Fading El Niño weather patterns will be replaced by La Niña conditions heading into the summer, according to the latest seasonal forecast from The Weather Network.
“El Niño is fading, and La Niña appears to be getting ready to take the stage as we head towards summer,” said Chris Scott, Chief Meteorologist with The Weather Network in a release, adding “therefore, we expect this spring will feature profound mood swings across Canada as periods of late winter-like weather interrupt our journey towards consistent warm weather. However, we expect that warmer-than-normal temperatures will outduel the cold weather for most Canadians this spring.”
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While March may bring some active and stormy weather, The Weather Network forecast expressed concerns that large regions of the country will be dry heading into the summer months.
For the Prairies, “warmer-than-normal temperatures are expected to dominate the season with a reduced risk for spring flooding due to a below-normal snowpack across the region,” according to the report. However, temperature patterns are expected to be varied, with periods of colder-than-normal temperatures and a few high-impact late winter events. Drought continues to be a concern for parts of the region and wildfires will be an increasing concern later in the season, especially for Alberta.
In Ontario and Quebec, spring weather has started earlier than normal, with warmer-than-normal temperatures expected to dominate the season. “However, the mild spring will be moody at times with periods of colder-than-normal temperatures, a risk for significant late winter weather and even a threat for a late season frost. We are also concerned about the potential for increasingly dry conditions to develop during the second half of the season.”
Warmer temperatures and drier conditions were also in the forecast for British Columbia, with spring flooding less of a concern due to a below normal snowpack in the alpine regions.
Near-normal temperatures and precipitation totals are expected in Atlantic Canada, “but we also have a heightened risk for dramatic pattern changes and high-impact late winter storms.”
Warmer-than-normal temperatures are expected for most of Northern Canada, including the Yukon, much of the Northwest Territories and Baffin Island. Meanwhile, near-normal temperatures are expected for western parts of Nunavut.
— Phil Franz-Warkentin is an associate editor/analyst with MarketsFarm in Winnipeg.
