The west coast is kicking off spring with warmer than normal weather, while balmy temperatures have yet to make an appearance in eastern Canada.
Spring officially begins at 6:45 p.m. ET on Friday, but that doesn’t mean an automatic thaw in much of the country.
"This is the time of the year when you get this kind of battle that takes place. The winter wants to hang on and summer weather wants to get a foothold," Environment Canada climatologist Dave Phillips told CTV’s Canada AM on Friday.
Environment Canada’s spring temperature forecast predicts cooler than normal weather in the Maritimes and Southern Ontario this season.
Phillips said the Maritimes can expect winter conditions to last well into spring, including below average temperatures that may persist through April and May.
"Before spring arrives and there are balmy breezes and feel-good weather and things start growing, you’ve got to get rid of the look and the feel of winter," he said on CTV News Channel. "All that snow, that ice, that cold, that frozen ground, that permafrost, it all has to melt."
His forecast for the rest of eastern Canada was similarly dreary.
"We’re not going to go from slush to sweat. We’re actually going to ease into this rather slowly. So April might come out a little cooler than usual," Phillips said. "We have a long ways to go in parts of Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes and Atlantic Canada to get to that point."
But the delay in warm weather isn’t all bad, he said.
Rapid melting and April showers could run the risk of flooding, especially in the Maritimes, where snow has piled up after a stormy winter.
"I know, psychologically, (Maritime residents) want it to be over right away, but if you bring on the warmth and the heavy rains, you’re going to be standing in water as opposed to standing in snow," Phillips said.
Meanwhile, Environment Canada predicts normal temperatures throughout central Canada, and warmer than normal temperatures on the west coast.
Spring-like weather is nothing new for those living along the Pacific. Unlike eastern Canada, Vancouver has been enjoying double-digit temperatures and flower blossoms since February.
"On the west coast, my gosh. The good news continues for them," Phillips said. "It’s just warm, warm, and warm."
