There's good news for Newfoundland and Labrador in the latest spring forecast by AccuWeather.com, a weather agency based in the United States.
Brett Anderson, a senior meteorologist who writes a Canadian weather blog, says temperatures this spring will be near or above average across most of Eastern, Northern and Atlantic Canada, while much of Central and Western Canada will see near or cooler than normal conditions.
Anderson is forecasting a more active storm track across the eastern Prairies and into northern Ontario, which will result in a wetter spring and additional late-season snowfall across this region and extending up into central Quebec.
"This primary storm track will also lead to a higher number of warm spells getting up into southern and central Ontario, which includes the Windsor to Toronto corridor," Anderson said.
His forecast models also call for above normal precipitation in the St. John's region this spring.
Also in Anderson's spring forecast:
• The overall threat for strong to severe thunderstorms will be higher than normal across southern Ontario during May and into June;
• Despite the wet weather, the risk for widespread river flooding across southern Manitoba (including Winnipeg) will be about average for this time of year;
• Drier weather will persist across much of Alberta this spring, including the cities of Edmonton and Calgary;
• Spring ski conditions should be good to excellent across Western Canada;
• Wetter conditions will return to much of the West coast, especially north of Vancouver and Victoria, B.C. after a rather dry start to the year;
• Cooler-than-normal waters of the eastern Pacific will have a greater cooling influence along the coastal regions of B.C. into the summer thanks in part to the the negative phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation;
• The Spring of 2013 will be fairly typical of most springs from the Ottawa region through southern Quebec (Montreal and Quebec City) and into northern New Brunswick as temperatures and precipitation will end up close to average;
• A higher than normal amount of Atlantic storms will threaten eastern Newfoundland, including St. John's, while narrowly missing the Maritimes.
• Confidence remains high that temperatures will continue to average warmer than normal throughout much of far northern and northeastern Canada this spring.
Anderson notes the warmest spring for Canada occurred in 2010, according to records going back to 1948. Spring temperatures have warmed an average of 1.8 C (3.2 F) over the past 65 years.
More weather information is available online at www.accuweather.com.
