Really Cool!

Cooler temperatures, more snow, in cards for March

John Schudlo, Ottawa CitizenPublished: Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Don't think about putting away that shovel or scarf any time soon.

Ottawa's seemingly relentless onslaught of snow continued Tuesday, with 10 to 15 centimetres expected to fall by Wednesday morning. Then, says Environment Canada, temperatures will drop to as low as -22 on Thursday, a full 10 degrees below the average for this time of year.
And after that? More snow on Friday and Saturday. "We cry 'uncle' and we think that nature is humanitarian and it will be kind to us," says Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips.
"Well, that's not the case."
He says many people think that because Ottawa has already gotten so much snow this year - 302 cm in total, 64 per cent more than average for this time of year - the weather is bound to let up soon.


"The thing is, it's probably still another eight weeks," says Mr. Phillips. "We haven't stopped counting the flakes." He likes to remind people that Ottawa has never had a March on record without snow, and only three of the past 70 Aprils haven't produced snowfall in the area.
Still, he says, people can take solace in knowing that the days are getting longer and the sun is getting more intense. That, combined with the typical jump in rainfall that March brings, will help to wash some snow away.
Mr. Phillips says residents probably shouldn't expect this winter's snowfall to surpass the 450 cm the region experienced in the record-setting 1970-1971 winter.


But, Environment Canada is calling for a "normal to colder than normal" March, he adds.