Don’t put away that shovel just yet

It looks like spring will arrive later than scheduled this year. Areas of Ontario, Quebec and most of the Maritimes can expect below normal temperatures for March and into early April.

Weather Network meteorologist Doug Gillham recommends Sudburians take advantage of the “spring preview” temperatures over the next few days as temperatures will most likely dip below normal with a higher than normal potential for heavy snowfall.

“In spring, you tend to lose a sense of what is normal,” said Gillham. “The temperatures will rise a degree to half a degree warmer every week, and it certainly won’t be as cold as the record-breaking February we just had.”

This outlook may be favourable to skiers and outdoor enthusiasts as precipitation is expected to sit around the seasonal norm during the next two months.

Gillham also predicts that by the time May rolls around, Sudbury should be closer to seasonal temperatures, but that prediction may be thrown off by the large amount of ice present on the Great Lakes.

Like last year, the substantial amount of ice present on the lakes makes it much harder to track air masses and their effects on surrounding land territories.