B.C.According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Lower Mainland could experience a colder than average spring because of a lingering La Nina climate pattern.
The agency’s Spring forecastAlthough temperatures will be cooler in March and May, Doug Lundquist, meteorologist, noted that the weather is “a bit like an rollercoaster” during this time of year.
Lundquist said that weather can have ups and also downs. “There will be plenty of warmer periods,” Lundquist stated to CTV News by phone from Kelowna. “We are definitely on a warmer trend right now.”
La Nina events tend bring icier winters to British Columbia. British Columbia experienced this year with record-breaking cold snaps.
Lundquist stated that if the weather pattern is not changed over the coming weeks or months, it could affect the natural progression and rise in spring temperatures. It could lead to them dropping a few degrees lower than normal.
He added that instead of temperatures in double digits, they might move into the high single digits with frosty nights again.
According to an Environment Canada heat map (LINK), forecasters are predicting a colder Spring with 70 to 80 percent confidence. However, Lundquist stated that temperatures could still be average or higher than usual in the Lower Mainland.
He stated that climate change is likely to make the world more warm, but that there are many factors that can cause weather fluctuations.
Lundquist stated that there aren’t any clear indicators of a wetter spring or drier spring. He called it “pretty close-to impossible” to predict rainfall this year.
He stressed the importance of daily forecasts, which many British Columbians learned last year during extreme weather events.
Lundquist stated that “the day-to-day weather matters more to our safety than the seasonal weather,” and added that the River Forecast Centre (B.C.) also provide valuable forecasts. The Wildfire Service provides valuable forecasts.
“Always keep your computer plugged in.”
