Typical fall ahead for Niagara
Niagara residents should expect a comfortable fall season, says Nadine Powell, a meteorologist with The Weather Network.
“We are expecting (temperatures) … to come in above seasonal. In terms of precipitation, we are expecting that should come in more or less seasonal,” she said.
“The only thing is that just across the border … we’re expecting below normal precipitation … so we’re almost on that cusp where we could either fall below normal in terms of precipitation, or just around normal.”
The Weather Network has released its fall forecast, predicting conditions for September through November.
Powell said seasonal fall temperatures should be about 15˚C, while average precipitation should be about 240 millimetres.
“Typically in November we get a little bit of snowfall, about 10 centimetres or so. But most of it comes in the form of rainfall, an average of about 240, so we should expect right around that,” she said.
“If we’re going above seasonal (temperatures) by about two or three degrees, that puts us in the high teens. I think most people would appreciate that, especially for the first half of the season, where we’re expected to have a little bit of warmth.”
Powell said fall bodes well for people who enjoy going outside.
“Viewing the colours, and being in Niagara, you have the wineries, and stuff that we like to do outdoors — I think we’ll be able to enjoy that.”
The Weather Network also released its winter preview.
Although weather experts have yet to “delve into great detail,” initial indicators show Niagara will experience a “more or less seasonal” winter when it comes to temperatures, averaging around the freezing mark.
Powell said at this time it’s “a bit more difficult” to determine what sort of winter precipitation Niagara residents can expect.
“We came out of a very strong El Nino, and it seems as though the trend is heading into a La Nina … although we’re not expecting that La Nina will be a strong La Nina,” she said.
“So definitely (this winter) shouldn’t be the same as last year. Now, of course, that’s not to say that we won’t get cold spells, but … by the time it’s all said and done, hopefully we won’t be remembering the really cold ones. Eventually it should average out.”