SPRING IN HER STEP
Carmen Loncar was bundled up for winter Wednesday while walking Jasper along the river. In a few weeks, she can look forward to the return of spring. Read the forecast,
Saskatchewan can expect a fairly standard spring, but a lack of snow could affect moisture in parts of the province.
With the first official day of spring just under three weeks away, Weather Network meteorologist Michael Carter said Saskatchewan can expect a few more wintry days before the flowers start to bloom.
“Spring is really one of our shoulder seasons, transitional seasons,” Carter said.
Most of the province should see seasonal temperatures, with more rain and snowfall expected in areas south of the Trans-canada Highway and toward the U.S. border.
With many Saskatchewan farmers faced with dry conditions in recent years, Carter said so far it doesn’t look as if any areas of the province are likely to see below average rainfall. However, precipitation is only one side of the equation when it comes to ground moisture on the Prairies.
“We haven’t really built up the snowpack across the region that maybe we’ve seen in some years past,” Carter said, noting it will be a matter of waiting to see whether it’s a quick melt in 2020.
This time last year, most of Saskatchewan was trudging through a historically long and cold February.
In Saskatoon, for instance, the average daily high was -18.7 C (well below the historical average of -6.3 C) and the average daily low was -29.7 C (twice as cold as the historical average low of -15.7 C). It was the fourth-coldest February on record, dating back 123 years.
Nationally, Weather Network chief meteorologist Chris Scott said the long-range outlook suggests spring will be “slow to bloom” across most of Canada, despite Groundhog Day predictions of early spring from prognosticating rodents in Ontario and Quebec.
“We don’t want to be saying that spring is cancelled: It will come, and we will have some really nice teases,” he said. “But the ghost of winter will come back at times and the groundhog may be scurrying for cover.”
While March, April and May may feature occasional warm spells, Scott said it will take time for those pleasant temperatures to stick.
The exception appears to be in Victoria and Saanich, B.C., which should see flowers budding in the coming weeks. But the rest of British Columbia will be slower to warm, Scott said, adding that cooler temperatures combined with average precipitation levels should make for a superb ski season.
“The spring should finish strong across most of B.C.,” he added. “Be ready for a few sneaky late winter, early spring snowstorms in there as well before we really get into the full burst of spring.”
Meanwhile, Scott said a polar vortex is keeping the Far North in its clutches. He said this year’s milder weather won’t reach the North until later in the season, offering a marked contrast to the balmier springs of recent years. The Canadian Press
With Saskatoon Starphoenix files from Bryn Levy
(Spring) will come and we will have some really nice teases.