By Tom Collins
A colder than normal March isn’t a good barometer of what the spring forecast will look like, says an Environment Canada senior climatologist.
David Phillips said Ottawa was five degrees colder than normal for March after a milder-than-normal February.
“We were going along, looking like a very early beginning to the growing season, and then March was a setback,” he said. “But April to June is showing warmer than normal conditions. It’s always better to have a cool March than a cool April, and right now, all the models seem to suggest that spring will be warmer than normal.”
Parts of Eastern Ontario saw 15 to 50 per cent more precipitation this winter than normal, which bodes well for the soil recovering after last summer’s drought.
“We saw some moisture issues at the beginning of the growing season last year, and that got worse from June into July, but I think the moisture going into the growing season (this year) is good,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any stress in any areas of Ontario.”
