Don’t put away those show shovels and the snowblower just yet.
The Weather Network released its spring forecast on Monday and meteorologist Nadine Powell said even though the spring equinox is approaching, winter won’t be giving up easily this year.
Atlantic Canada has had a relatively mild winter, and it’s been very quiet in February, but Powell said March will be a lot more active.
“We do see that there may be a few Nor’easters in the picture,’’ Powell told The Guardian. “We are anticipating we may see increased activity, increased compared to normal, so with a few more storms moving into the area.
“That may bring us a bit more precipitation than normal as we head through the next couple of months and especially heading into the start of March.’’
Now, forecasts can be wrong. It’s been a relatively quiet winter so far despite the face the Weather Network predicted a “very active storm track’’. The network was correct that temperatures would be warm enough to keep whatever snow fell from piling up.
Friendly reminder
- The Weather Network recommends people start thinking of using sunscreen in the spring
- People tend to associate sunburns with temperature when that’s not the case
- More hours of daylight and a stronger sun can cause sunburns
Powell said conditions, as a whole, are expected to be near normal for Prince Edward Island.
“Previously, we were anticipating that it may be a little on the cold side because of the blocking pattern that is setting up across the North Atlantic toward the Greenland area. Usually, when we have that sort of a pattern it brings a lot of Arctic air into the eastern half of the country.’’
She said despite the fact the Island will see a more northerly flow of air it’s not expected to be as extreme.
“While we may see temperatures a little bit cold we’re not expecting it to be frigid. It will be closer to seasonal for us.’’
Powell said water temperatures are quite warm in the Gulf of Mexico and across the Atlantic Ocean, meaning the east side of the country, from the Great Lakes to Atlantic Canada, could tap into that warmth and moisture.
“That could be fuel to generate more potent storms, so we’re watching for, perhaps, one or two of those still to come.’’
For some places in Atlantic Canada, The Weather Network warns the biggest snowfall of the year is still yet to come.
“Sometimes, these things happen in the early spring. It just takes you one system or one storm to really push you over the edge. We can’t turn our back on this, especially in the east, given the fact we’re in such close proximity to tapping into Gulf moisture and Atlantic moisture and warmth as well.’’
As for April and May, Powell said conditions are expected to be seasonal.
