If meteorologists are correct, Alberta can look forward to a typically unpredictable spring.
Both The Weather Network and Environment Canada forecast an average spring for both Calgary and Edmonton -- meaning Albertans can expect the unexpected in the form of wildly fluctuating temperatures and weather patterns.
“Average can be a mean of two extremes,” Environment Canada meteorologist Bill McMurtry told the Calgary Herald. “As we all know, in southern Alberta spring doesn’t always mean flowers growing and green grass.”
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Edmontonians, especially, are advised to keep their shovels handy.
Thirty to 40 centimetres of snow is expected to fall in Edmonton this spring, predicts Dayna Vettese, a meteorologist with The Weather Network.
“March is always a transitional month, with a bit of winter and spring weather,” she told the Edmonton Journal.
The Weather Network has forecast a cooler spring for Northern Alberta. Thirty-year weather data indicate Edmonton will experience daytime highs of 2C in March, 11C in April and 18C in May.
Calgary, on the other hand, can expect to see around 22 centimetres of precipitation over the season, but much of that could be rain.
Temperatures in Calgary will remain seasonal, with daytime highs around 4C in March, 11C in April and 16C in May.
“There really is no normal when it comes to southern Alberta,” Vettese told The Calgary Sun.
“It’s notorious for its drastic jumps in temperature.”
Vettese conceded that there is little certainty when you look at a long-term forecast in Alberta.
“I wouldn’t rule out some chinook events that would raise temperatures above normal,” she told the Sun.
“I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of more snow, it looks like we might get some more events."
Albertans can blame sketchy weather predictions on one thing, Vettese told the Edmonton Journal.
“It’s because the Rocky Mountains cause very localized events that are not picked up well by weather models.”