B.C. weather: First day of spring Monday

Almost as if the sunny, mild temperatures over the weekend in Metro Vancouver were an early sign, spring in B.C. officially begins Monday afternoon.

The vernal equinox will take place at 2:24 p.m., which marks the official start of the season.

So, what can we expect weather-wise for the next few months in B.C.?

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In the short term, CityNews Meteorologist Michael Kuss says temperatures at the end of March into the beginning of April should be around average or even below average.

“We’re expecting to see slightly cooler-than-normal temperatures taking us through even the early parts of May. Tail end of spring, heading into summer we should start to get average temperatures and across the spring period, it looks like precipitation will be at or below average,” he said.

Looking further ahead, Kuss says there are factors that make the weather a little harder to predict.

“Our longer range weather forecasting has been dominated by an almost three-year long La Niña pattern — cooler waters in the eastern equatorial Pacific. That is weakening and it looks like eventually, we’ll get into an El Niño pattern,” he explained.

“But as we’re in that in between – that mushy middle – things are tougher to predict, but right now it, it does look like we’ll see seasonal or below seasonal temperatures, and average or below average precipitation through spring.”

This week in Metro Vancouver, temperatures are expected to stay in the double-digits, with highs of between 10 and 12 degrees expected with varying levels of precipitation.

The spring season runs from Monday until June 21, when the summer solstice marks the beginning of that season.

Although the season has changed, the requirement for winter tires or chains on highways around B.C. has not. As per provincial law, the requirement extends until March 31, and until April 30 on mountain passes and high snowfall areas.

Listen to CityNews 1130 for weather updates after traffic every 10 minutes on the ones. You can also follow Meteorologist Michael Kuss on Twitter and subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.