Right now, many Canadians are likely thinking, 鈥淎pril is the cruellest month.鈥�
Those words definitely ring true across much of Canada, where despite spring officially beginning on March 22, wintery weather is still holding many of us in its icy grip.
According to Environment Canada, moreover, it could be at least another two weeks before temperatures rise to normal levels.
Winnipeg, for example, will experience temperatures of minus 16 degrees Celsius overnight Tuesday, which is more than 10 degrees lower than the city鈥檚 average April 3 low, Environment Canada data shows -- and that鈥檚 not even taking the bitter wind chill into account.
The situation is much the same elsewhere in the Canadian prairies, where daytime highs are about 10 degrees colder than normal for this time of year.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a little bit ridiculous for April,鈥� Peggy Breckenridge said from Edmonton. 鈥淏ut at least the sun is out and it鈥檚 not windy.鈥�
for much of Southern Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick Tuesday for everything from winter storms to strong winds to heavy rain, snowfall and freezing rain.
This adverse weather is part of the same system that is currently pummelling the Midwestern U.S. Elsewhere in that country, New York City just recorded its heaviest April snowfall since 1982.
The cold is being locked in over parts of North America by a weather system known as a polar vortex. In other words, a huge high pressure ridge of Siberian and Arctic air is currently stuck in place over a significant swath of the continent, thus preventing warmer weather from moving in.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to see our temperatures rise back to normal for at least two weeks,鈥� Environment Canada meteorologist Natalie Hasell told 麻豆传媒 Tuesday. 鈥淎nd there are some forecasts suggesting longer than that.鈥�
That means it could be the end of the month before Canadians get the pleasant balmy spring they鈥檝e been waiting all winter for.
With a report from 麻豆传媒 Manitoba Bureau Chief Jill Macyshon
