Canada's spring forecast will give you a chill: 'Winter’s not done yet'

It looks like we’ll be getting a colder start to spring this year in Canada.

According to AccuWeather’s spring outlook, cold weather will still be around for first half of the new season across the western and central portions of the country. In southwestern British Columbia in particular, March and April are expected to be cool and wet.

“This will favour an extended ski season across much of western Canada…with more opportunities for significant snowfall in the Rockies and Coastal Range into April,” Brett Anderson, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather highlighted in the spring forecast.

Despite the cold start to spring, B.C. is expected to see warmer and drier conditions heading into May.

According to Anderson, March is going to start off colder across southern Ontario and potentially stormy in the Maritimes.

“Winter’s not done yet,” Anderson says. “We may see another brief shot of cold air coming in western Canada in early March.”

Throughout the week, Ontario and southern Quebec experienced warmer than normal temperatures but as we head into early March, at least the first ten days of the month, Anderson says the jet stream could be amplified and its position will change.

“What that means is we may have the jet stream rollercoaster…going up higher into western Canada and coming down into the Prairies, into eastern North America,” Anderson said. “Things are not as cold in the west but they turn colder across the Prairies and into the Great Lakes region.”

Across the Prairies, AccuWeather is expecting particularly dry conditions in spring with a lower than normal risk of flooding in Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba.

“Concerned drought may grow later in the spring into the summer across this region,” according to AccuWeather’s spring prediction.

In terms of the storm pattern for spring, its expected to track into the Great Lakes region, which will result in a higher number of rainy or snowy days across much of Ontario and western Quebec.

“The combination of this stormier pattern, snow melt and saturated ground may lead to an increased risk of spring flooding across Ontario and Quebec,” AccuWeather warns.

Areas around Toronto, Ottawa, Thunder Bay and Windsor are expected to see cloudier and cooler than normal temperatures throughout the season.

While in the Maritimes, more mild temperatures are anticipated in the region from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland.

What do you think of Canada’s spring forecast? Are you sick of all the cold? Tell us in the comments below.