Was Metro Vancouver's warm weekend weather actually just 'false spring'?
Metro Vancouver experienced beautiful, warm weather this past weekend, but was it actually just a sign of “false spring”?
While “false spring” (sometimes known as “fool’s spring”) isn’t an official weather term used by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), it’s known as the period before the actual first day of spring that comes with a bout of warmer weather, tricking folks into believing the sunshine is here to stay, before quickly switching back to colder conditions.
“I think a lot of people refer to it as an early spring or just a warmth before actual spring occurs,” ECCC meteorologist Derek Lee told Daily Hive in an interview.
He noted that temperatures near the water reached 12.8 °C over the weekend, but inland areas like Pitt Meadows and Coquitlam experienced much warmer conditions, around 16.7°C.
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“There was a big difference in terms of temperature ranges we saw on the weekend, but nonetheless, that sunshine and warmth was definitely contending with above normal temperatures ranging from anywhere between basically up to six degrees above normal,” said Lee.
“I would say the… occurrence was quite remarkable and maybe a bit early for springtime,” he added.
However, in the coming weeks, the region’s temperatures are not going to keep up with the warmth of the weekend.
“We have temperatures just hovering around seasonal, which is about 10°C of a high and a low of 3°C, so I don’t think we’re going to see anything in the 16°C to 17°C range anytime soon,” noted Lee.
ECCC
“Even heading into the end of March, we’re looking at possibly just hovering around normal [temperatures] as well.”
For those worried that snow could be making a surprise appearance, Lee assured that likely won’t happen “because temperatures are well above zero in the forecast in the next week or so.”
As for “extensive rain,” Lee explained that the signal for wet weather conditions in the long term is “still uncertain,” but showers will settle in for this coming weekend.
It’s safe to say that we shouldn’t let “false spring” get our hopes up about warm weather in the coming weeks.
However, Lee did provide some positive news about the first day of spring, which lands on March 21.
“That’s when the sunlight and the daylight hours do increase gradually, so we’re going to warm up towards the end of the month because of just how the earth works astronomically.”