The southern Prairies could see drier weather heading into the summer, while southern Ontario producers could be dealing with wetter-than-normal conditions for planting, according to the Weather Network’s seasonal forecast.
Released Thursday, the forecast suggests a generally typical Canadian spring season, with the usual wild swings between warmer and colder weather.
“Spring in Canada is consistently inconsistent. Changeable weather and temperature roller coasters tend to dominate the season. That will especially be the case this year.”
But while the precipitation map below shows an area of below normal precipitation staying south of the Canada-US border, the forecast warns the southern parts of the Prairies “could trend dry” towards the start of summer. On the other hand, an active storm track is expected through the heart of the Great Lakes region.
“Above-normal precipitation totals are expected, especially through April, and this could cause delays in the start of the spring planting season due to the saturated soil conditions,” the forecast said of southern Ontario.
For the Prairies, a relatively active pattern is expected through April with near-normal or even above-normal precipitation for all three Prairie provinces. “However, we are concerned about the risk for increasingly dry conditions across southern parts of the province as we head into early summer,” the forecaster said.
In terms of temperatures, the forecast said Alberta could tip to the chillier side of normal for the spring season, while Saskatchewan and Manitoba will see periods of cooler weather offset by bouts of warmer than normal conditions. Ontario is projected to be warmer than normal this spring.
