Spring in Ottawa is trending warmer, but late snow isn’t off the table

March and April are expected to be warmer than average in the national capital region, though the “highly variable” season will be punctuated by some cooler temperatures before we usher in summer.

Barbara Lapido, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said warmer days are ahead, but there will be some days “or even weeks” of cooler temperatures.

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She added that though there will be “oscillations” in temperature, March and April are still expected to be warmer than normal.

She said the upcoming weekend is a good example of the weather trend Ottawa will see this spring. The mercury is expected to peak at 11 C on March 15, and rise to 14 C the following day, before dropping slightly to more seasonally average temperatures around 5 C during the following week. Temperatures are forecast to be back in the double digits by Wednesday.

The average temperatures for this time of year see daytime highs around two, and lows in the negatives.

“It’s the transition between winter and spring, and summer,” Lapido said. “It’ll be above normal, but there will still be some cold days.”

As for precipitation, Lapido said models aren’t showing any clear signs for what to expect.

“Every scenario is possible,” she said, meaning it’s not clear if precipitation levels will be above, below, or around average.

“This year, there’s no clear trend,” she said, “that could be a good thing, we just don’t know yet.”

She noted springtime can mean heading into thunderstorm season, cautioning people to pay attention to storm forecasts, watches and warnings.

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The Weather Network’s chief meteorologist, Chris Scott, told the Canadian Press earlier this week that spring may be slightly chillier in Western Canada, but otherwise close to normal in the rest of the country, the forecast suggests.

Scott said it’s shaping up to be a wet spring in both southern Ontario and Quebec, but it doesn’t mean more rainy days necessarily, though some “pretty intense” storm systems could be on the horizon.

Parts of Ontario, and cottage country in particular, could also face flood risks if heavy rainfall lines up with melting heavy snowpack, he said.

With files from The Canadian Press

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