B.C.'s spring weather forecast is out and Vancouver could be in for bumpy ride
Spring is just around the corner and the weather forecast for B.C. is out. But what will the skies look like for Vancouver over the next few months?
Daily Hive spoke with Lisa Erven, warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), who shared that we could see a warming trend and temperatures above seasonal over the next few months across the province.
But each day can bring a different weather adventure as the province transitions out of a La Niña winter into what is known as an “ENSO-neutral” favoured forecast.
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“ENSO-neutral or El Niño-Southern Oscillation-neutral has a probable forecast to persist through the spring and into summer, June, July, and August,” said Erven. We’re currently in La Niña, which means weighted towards a cooler and wetter winter that lingers into spring. However, this past winter, we didn’t get typical La Niña conditions. It was very weak, barely crossing the threshold.
“Because neutral conditions are not statically robust enough to tell us expected temperatures and precipitation trends, we rely on analyzing seasonal climate models to gain guidance on what spring forecast may hold.”
Stephen Bridger/Shutterstock
El Niño affects North America via changes in the jet stream, and an ENSO-neutral season means that the weather pattern will be both El Niño and La Niña, with neither dominating.
Erven shared that there is a probability of above-normal temperatures for B.C. in March, April, and May, as well as Metro Vancouver. There is also a probability of above-average precipitation throughout spring in sections of the province.
“Springtime is one of our most dynamic seasons,” said the meteorologist. “You often hear people say, ‘The weather was really wild’ or ‘We got all the seasons all in one day.’ Because we’re moving from the coldest month of the year to the hottest month, we can get any type of weather, especially in March and April.
“We could get snow or thunderstorms. April and May can even start to see heat events. If you’re having outdoor activities, you can check out with ECCC and find our alerts online and through our app.”
ECCC
The last week of winter calls for rain for much of the week, with highs of up to 11ºC on Saturday and a low of -1ºC on Monday night.
The daily average temperature in Vancouver jumps from 6.7ºC in March to 15.8ºC in June. And keep your umbrellas nearby as the monthly average rainfall ranges from 104.1 mm in March to 51.1 mm in June.