Canada’s groundhogs had their say Friday morning on how long winter will last — and there was some confusion.
Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie Sam came out of his pen and wandered around, a sign he was predicting an early end to winter.
But Wiarton Willie of Ontario, waddled out of his den and saw his shadow, meaning there could be six more weeks of winter.
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So, groundhogs aren’t entirely sure how long winter will last this year.
Thankfully, Global News meteorologist Anthony Farnell has a more substantiated weather forecast. But it’s not too encouraging for those growing tired of cold weather.
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While Canadians did see milder temperatures towards the end of last month, thanks to January thaw, colder temperatures are back and will likely stick around for a while.
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Cold weather expected to last a while
Farnell explains that winter weather and snow will last through February and into March.
“February is shaping up to be a cold month for the eastern half of Canada,” he explained. “Frigid temperatures in the Prairies are spreading out and will remain in place for much of the month.”
Central Canada has cold weather in store as well, Farnell said.
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“At the same time, an active storm track will bring lots of snow to the Great Lakes, Quebec and Eastern Canada.”
While spring officially begins on March 20, that won’t necessarily mean warm weather.
“It does look like March will still be colder than normal in many areas,” Farnell states, explaining that it’s still quite early to know exactly how mild or cold the temperature will be, or whether there will be heavy rainfall and flooding.
Winter in Canada (so far)
One thing is for sure, Canadians across the country have experienced bitter cold so far this season — and it’s often been recording-setting.
Temperatures dropped so much in Ontario that Niagara Falls turned into an icy wonderland. Global News meteorologist Ross Hull explained at the time that 2018 saw the coldest Jan. 1 on record in the Niagara Falls area, with temperatures dipping below -26 C.
READ MORE: Niagara Falls’ breathtaking winter views are the upside of this extreme cold
And let’s not forget about the “bomb cyclone” winter storm that pounded Eastern Canada, leaving thousands of flights across North America cancelled.
Farnell explained that even with the cold snaps, this year’s winter has been in line with previous seasons.
WATCH: Coverage of this winter’s “bomb cyclone” storm
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‘Bomb cyclone’ continues to wreak havoc in parts of the Maritimes
“This winter has been a wild one with extreme cold lasting from mid-December to mid-January, followed by a lengthy period of January thaws across the country,” he said. “When you add up the two extremes, temperatures have actually been close to normal for much of Canada.”
Despite Shubenacadie Sam’s prediction, winter’s not close to being over yet. Farnell says Canadians will just have to stick it out.
“February will be the deciding month when it comes to how Canadians will remember this winter.”
— With files from The Canadian Press
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