The weather forecast for March is out and Vancouver is in for a warmup

Hello, March! The month that’s supposed to herald spring has been off to a cold start.

But things are supposed to warm up to seasonal next week, before Metro Vancouver sees a near-normal month, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada’s long-term forecast models.

But “normal” for March doesn’t exactly mean “boring.”

“March is this transition month from winter toward the warmer seasons. It, typically, is a very dynamic month. You can get all forms of weather from snow to rain, very warm weather, very cold weather,” ECCC meteorologist Lisa Erven told Daily Hive.

A variety of weather can come at once — including thunderstorms.

“It’s a pretty interesting month, weather-wise. Each week can hold a new surprise.”

We’re about five degrees below seasonal right now. That’s because of a cold airmass over Metro Vancouver, Erven said. The city is getting lots of rain to start the month, and the North Shore ski hills are seeing snow.

Things are set to turn around next week, though, when the clouds clear away for sunny skies.

The average March in Vancouver sees a daily high of nearly 7°C and about 114 millimetres of rain. It’s hardly Vancouver’s wettest month, coming in drier than November, December, and January, but it certainly sees storms.

The El Nino pattern in the Pacific Ocean contributed to a relatively warm winter, and April through June could be warmer than usual in Metro Vancouver as well.

There’s only so much meteorologists like Erven can learn from long-range forecasts, and she advised weather-watchers to check back week-by-week for more specific weather information.

“Especially given that we are in March. We can get anything under the sun.”