Spring is taking root across Canada. What will the season bring?

Wild swings make spring a difficult season to forecast in Canada, even more so this year amid a transition from a weak La Nina to perhaps the first sign of a new El Nino.

Spring is always a volatile fight of a season where winter throws the early punches, but summer eventually gets the knockout at the end.

These wild swings make spring a difficult season to forecast in Canada, even more so this year as we transition from a weak La Nina to perhaps the first sign of a new El Nino developing in the Pacific Ocean.

These changing water temperatures can impact the jet stream and weather patterns around the globe, but right now the signals are weak and unreliable.

Our medium and longer-range computer models give us forecasters the best clues as to what type of season we are in for.

Let’s look at what to expect this spring across Canada.

The snowpack in B.C. and western Alberta is running more than 25 per cent below normal as of early March.

There is hope that an active and stormy weather pattern will deliver more snow to these mountains in the weeks ahead and bring levels closer to normal before the big spring melt.

We are forecasting above normal spring precipitation and below normal temperatures this season, so a repeat of the recent explosive starts to the fire season appears less likely out west.