Snow in March: How common is it?

Tuesday, March 11, 2014, 5:05 PM -

Spring is just over a week away but it doesn't feel like it in some parts of the country, with the eastern half of Canada (Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada) bracing for more snow.

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Make no mistake: This winter has been particularly harsh, but by this time of year many Canadians are used to seeing the winter weather gradually fade away.

That certainly hasn't been the case in eastern Canada.

This month, Toronto, Ont. has seen 18.6 cm of snow, according to Environment Canada, which is a bit more than average.

"Toronto typically sees an average of 17.7 cm of snow in March," says Weather Network meteorologist Monica Vaswani, "and parts of the GTA could see more than 15 cm of additional snow accumulate through Wednesday."

Up to 25 cm of snow is expected in Montreal, QC Wednesday, on top of the 11.8 cm the city has already seen this month.

"That's significant, especially when you consider that Montreal typically sees 38.5 cm over the course of the entire month," Vaswani says.

Cities in Atlantic Canada -- like Halifax N.S., Fredericton N.B. and St John's Nfld., typically see 37.1 cm, 49.4 cm and 57.3 cm of March snow, respectively. Some places could see the bulk of that accumulate this week as another storm targets the region.

WHEN WILL SPRING ARRIVE? Read our 2014 Spring Outlook

Still, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

While spring may not come in like a lion this year, forecasters say it will show up eventually.

“There’s no doubt Canadians are looking for signs of relief from the cold, wintry conditions and rest assured, you can’t hold back spring,” said Chris Scott, Weather Network Chief Meteorologist.