When Edmontonians awoke Monday to yet another day of snowfall, many were left shaking their fist at the sky and asking: will this winter ever end?
The good news? Yes, it will. The bad news? Historical numbers indicate we could see snow late into May.
“It’s not unheard of to have heavy snowfall in April,” Global Edmonton meteorologist Jesse Beyer said. “This is the time of year when we have ample moisture moving in with still cold and dry arctic air masses migrating south. It creates temperature and moisture profiles that support these type of heavy, wet snow events.”
On average, Beyer says the city sees about 15 centimetres of snowfall in April. However, on April 19, 1955, Edmonton saw 38.1 cm of snow — a record for the month of April.
If you look at the last 30 years, Edmonton has seen an average of five cm of snow fall in the month of May. The record amount for that month was more than 25 cm!
But, hang in there, because history tells us there’s absolutely no way we’d see snow in June, July and August. The 30-year average for those months is zero cm of snow.
And, while it’s not 24C, Global’s weather specialist Mike Sobel promised “slow improvement” starting Wednesday. The normal high for this time of year is about 13C or 14C.
“Other than a few more pockets of flurries, it looks like rain showers will be more likely by the second half of the week,” Beyer added. “Temperatures could get into the mid-teens for highs as we head into the weekend!
“Don’t get too comfortable, though. May has also brought heavy snow events to Edmonton, with a record dump of 26 cm on May 21, 1997.”
For the latest information on weather watches and warnings, visit Environment Canada’s website.
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