Canada's May weather forecast: Stark contrast between western, eastern parts of the country

The downtown skyline and cranes at port are silhouetted while seen from the harbour, in Vancouver, on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

After a confusing April in terms of temperature, residents of Western Canada may be in for a more consistently sunny May, according to the Weather Network, but it’s a different story in Eastern Canada.

From coast to coast, April brought ups and downs, with some provinces going from temperatures in the early 20s to -5 C in a matter of days. Despite some spikes, below-seasonal temperatures were the main trend from British Columbia to Ontario.

But will spring be evening out now as we kick off May?

Only for half of the country, the Weather Network said in a post Tuesday.

They predict that colder-than-normal temperatures will persist for most of Ontario, southern Quebec and Atlantic Canada during the first week of the month.

Some areas in this region could even see bouts of snow, the agency said.

Western Canada will have a sunnier time of it right off the bat, they predict, with warmer-than-normal temperatures that could approach summer levels.

The second week is anticipated to bring a brief respite for Eastern Canada, with warmer weather spreading through the region.

However, the pattern seen at the start of the month is expected to return for the last two weeks of May. The Weather Network predicts below-seasonal temperatures in the forecast for Quebec and Ontario, while Western Canada sees a surge of above-seasonal temperatures.

This split between Western and Eastern Canada is already being seen in the current temperatures across the country. As of mid-Tuesday, Western Canada had temperatures ranging from 17 to 23 C, with Saksatchewan seeing the highest average temperatures, according to Environment Canada.

Meanwhile, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada are seeing temperatures below 10 C, with St. John’s experiencing the lowest average temperature at just 3 C.

Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut are expected to see higher than average temperatures for the bulk of May.