Photo: EverythingGP stock photo

By Shane Clausing

stretch of warm weather

Above normal temperatures only expected to last temporarily for Grande Prairie region

Mar 15, 2022 | 12:30 PM

Above normal temperatures have settled in over the Grande Prairie area and are expected to stick around for at least the next week.

The forecast from Environment Canada predicts the city will see temperatures reach highs in the plus three-to-six-degree range over the next seven days – a big jump from the usual average of zero recorded in the Swan City this time of year.

Environment Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor says we are seeing this warm weather is coming from a southwesterly flow loft of warm air coming in from B.C.

“That’s bringing warmer air in across the Rockies and we are seeing that surface from time to time over the last little while and we are seeing that persisting over much of the workweek as well,” he explained.

“So, we are about four or five degrees above normal for this time of year.”

Meaningful Mementos

Remembering Someone You've Lost at Christmas

Dec 03, 2024

Seasonal Sorrow

How Do You Get Through The Holidays When You're Grieving?

Nov 01, 2024

Upcoming Events at Oliver's

Grief & Loss and Estate Planning Seminars

Oct 02, 2024

Proctor adds while the weather is being welcomed by many folks in Grande Prairie, he reminds people winter is not quite over yet.

“If we go past this seven-day period, it starts to look like the middle of next week it might cool off again,” he said. “Maybe we’ll see this warm rest this week, cooler (next week) and warming back up toward the end of the month.”

Proctor also mentioned because we are in Grande Prairie, the weather is always unpredictable.

With the stretch of warm weather, many have begun to shift their attention towards the spring.

Although the spring is fast approaching, Proctor warns we could see temperatures slightly below normal.

“We’ve got La Nina out there and that’s really what was responsible for the cold air that we saw earlier in the winter,” he explained. “La Nina winters and springs tend to be cooler than normal and tend to have a little bit more normal precipitation than we typically see, especially as we get closer to the Rockies and that’s defiantly what we saw earlier in the winter.

“When we look at our long-range models, it’s indicating an above 50 per cent chance of cooler than normal temperatures. It does look like as we head into spring. It doesn’t look like a particularly strong La Nina though, so I wouldn’t expect things to be much below what we typically should see and expect.”