Despite early snow, forecaster predicts ‘gentler, milder’ autumn TREVOR ROBB
Early snow may have ruined the start of September for many Edmontonians, but according to the Weather Network things should return to normal for the rest of the autumn season.
“Over the last 10 days it seems like we’ve plummeted into an early winter — that won’t last. We’re going to snap out of it and get some milder weather, especially through October,” The Weather Network’s chief meteorologist, Chris Scott, said as the network released its fall forecast Monday.
“For November, while it can hold some snowy surprises, we don’t think we’re dropping into the minus 20s that we sometimes do in the second and third week of November. So the gentler, milder fall applies here.”
The early arrival of snow may have caught some people off guard, but the network says significant snow is a normal part of fall.
“Fall is one of those transition seasons where it is a wild rollercoaster ride,” said Scott. “We are going to see some weeks where it’s warm and some weeks that are cold, but this year it’s not quite the steepness of the drops and rises we sometimes see this time of the year.”
The Weather Network reminded Prairie residents that “normal” temperatures drop by more than 2 degrees Celsius per week during the fall across the region. Also forecast are drier than normal conditions across southern Alberta, with near to slightly below normal precipitation anticipated elsewhere in the Prairies.
“We’re not going to lock into a winter pattern right in November it looks like, so that means we’ve got a couple months to go here where folks that like fall foliage — they’re going to get their chance to enjoy the fall colours. There’s going to be a pretty good amount of time to go hiking and do activities outdoors and for farmers with harvesting,” he said.
EARLY WINTER FORECAST
According to the network, a developing El Nino in Western Canada is expected to push the mild fall patterns into winter, while much of the rest of Canada east of the Prairies can expect normal winter temperatures.
“We expect the upcoming winter to bear some resemblance to last winter with periods of harsh winter weather that should be offset at times by significant periods of milder weather.”