The old adage “March comes in like a lion, but leaves like a lamb” has never been more true than this year.
The hope of spring is just around, but The Weather Network warns winter will linger for a bit longer.
The Weather Network released its spring forecast on Feb. 25, and says ultimately spring will be slightly warmer than usual. However, Old Man Winter will keep much of the country in its grips to begin with.
Meteorologist Nadine Hinds-Powell says the switch from winter to spring is expected to be sudden.
“As we look to the end of March and beginning of April, we will switch into more seasonal temperatures and it will really begin to feel more like spring,” Hinds-Powell said.
Before warmer temperatures can settle into the area, the blanket of cold Central Alberta is currently under will remain.
Hinds-Powell says the cold will remain for the first few weeks of March before quickly shifting to more spring-like temperatures.
“It won’t necessarily be as cold as it is right now, but it will still be colder than season,” she said.
Seasonal temperatures for Central Alberta for the end of February and beginning of March is around -15C as a low, according to Hinds-Powell.
With that as the bench mark, she says temperatures are expected to somewhere around -20C.
“It won’t be nearly as cold as it is right now, we expect, but it will still be significant and noticeably cold,” Hinds-Powell said.
However, she warns spring will still be a transition season. As such, there will be times when temperatures will once again slip to the colder side of the spectrum.
When it comes to precipitation for the season, Hinds-Powell says that is harder to track, as it is based on individual systems that may come through.
However, it is expected the season will see near-normal precipitation.
“To the north, we expect the precipitation will be near normal, and below normal to the southeast of the province. The Red Deer area is right on the cusp of that division, but we think it will be near-normal.”
Flooding, according to Hinds-Powell, is not something that can be given a wide range warning. She says the potential for flooding is based on individual areas and how much snow they got.
“[Flooding] is something we are always careful to keep an eye on,” said Hinds-Powell.
With a temperatures reaching -40C with the windchill Tuesday morning, Central Albertans are looking forward to the warmer temperatures expected by the end of March.