True Canadian Easter: Periods of snow vs 20 C temps

Are you dreaming of a white or warm Easter?

Most of us can remember years when Easter weekend featured wintry weather instead of spring weather. However, Easter weekend is later than normal this year and we actually have to go all the way back to 2000 to find a later date. Does this later date mean that we can count on warmer spring weather for the upcoming long weekend? Not so fast.

STANDOUT SPRING WEATHER ON THE PRAIRIES

For parts of Canada we will indeed have some gorgeous spring weather. The Prairies standout this weekend with some of the best weather across the country, especially on Good Friday with high temperatures reaching the upper teens and lower 20s from Lethbridge Alberta to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

NatTemps Friday

However, there will be some wintry weather on Friday as snow is likely across the Rockies. Snow will also spread east into the Foothills of western Alberta and we are watching the potential for snow to reach Calgary during Friday night. Snow is also likely in Iqaluit and around Churchill.

HIDE THE EGGS INSIDE: WIDESPREAD RAIN ACROSS THE EAST

From the Great Lakes to Atlantic Canada widespread rain is likely on Friday and we are very concerned about the threat for flooding across parts of central and northern Ontario, southern Quebec and New Brunswick where rain totals of 40 to 80 mm are expected through the weekend over areas that still have a substantial amount of snow on the ground.

East Friday

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As the rain spreads east across Atlantic Canada, it will begin as a period of snow and freezing rain across the eastern Maritimes, Newfoundland, and Labrador.

SOME WEEKEND IMPROVEMENTS

Rain is also likely on Friday across southern B.C. with alpine snow for the central and north coast.

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West Friday

However, the weather will dry out for Saturday and Sunday across this region with some sunshine and near seasonal temperatures.

Meanwhile, a system will quickly track across the Prairies during Friday night and Saturday and cooler weather will spread across the region for the rest of the weekend.

West Saturday

However, clouds will give way to sunshine behind the system and Easter will be pleasant day across most western Canada with near seasonal temperatures.

West Sunday

Across eastern Canada, we will continue to see widespread rain and possibly a thunderstorm stretching from southern Ontario to Newfoundland on Saturday. The best chance of seeing dry weather on Saturday will be across Nova Scotia, but southern Ontario and southern Quebec will see some clearing later in the afternoon and evening.

East Saturday

EASTER SUNDAY AND MONDAY

Easter Sunday will be a much drier day across southern Ontario and southern Quebec, though we will not be able to shake the threat for a passing shower. Temperatures will be much milder with some sunshine, especially across eastern Ontario and southern Quebec where temperatures will reach the upper teens and a few spots could reach 20 C. Across southern Ontario, temperatures will be a few degrees cooler, especially near the shores of the Great Lakes.

East Sunday

Easter will be a mild day across Atlantic Canada and a large part of the region will be rain-free through the day. However, a band of rain and thunderstorms will track into western New Brunswick and western Nova Scotia during the day and we will closely watch the timing for the arrival of rain into Halifax and Moncton.

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Looking ahead to Easter Monday, rain will return to the south coast of B.C. and showers are likely for parts of Atlantic Canada. In between, the weather will be mostly rain-free across central Canada with near seasonal temperatures, but we will closely watch the timing of a cold front as it approaches southern Ontario late Monday or Monday night. Once again the Prairies stand out with some of the nicest weather to be found across Canada.

NatTemps Monday

LAST WEEK OF APRIL, LOOK AHEAD TO MAY

The first half of April has been cooler than normal from the central Prairies to Atlantic Canada, but not nearly as cold as what we saw during April last year. The map below shows temperature anomalies for April 1-17 with the various shades of blue and green highlighting areas that have been on the cool side of seasonal.

APRIL2019GRAPHIC

Looking ahead to the end of April, it looks like many areas that have been colder than normal so far during April will be closer to normal for the final ten days of the month. May is expected to bring near normal or above normal temperatures to most this region as well, especially for Ontario and into southern Quebec. However, spring is notorious for wild swings in temperature and no doubt the warmer pattern will still include some significant interruptions.

Please check back as we get closer to May 1st for a more detailed look at the month of May.

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