This unusually warm weather in Calgary has people wondering what March will be like.
The prevailing reason for the warmer than usual weather is El Nino.
Global Calgary weather expert Paul Dunphy believes we can expect this trend to continue.
“We are still in an El Nino and it is not likely to weaken until late spring, early summer. This March is likely to be warmer and drier than normal just as much of the winter has been. “
Jordan Witzel, Global Calgary meteorologist, agrees, although he thinks that we should not expect it to be quite as dry as February. “El Nino typically causes warm and dry conditions but we should balance that with the fact March is usually a little wetter than January and February to begin with.”
March weather stats compiled by Paul Dunphy. Paul Dunphy Global Calgary
The prevailing sentiment in Calgary is that we have had an incredibly mild winter so far, and the statistics back that up.
February 2016 will go down as the second-warmest February on record and the eighth driest. If this were not a leap year then we were on track to be only the second snow-free February in Calgary, according to Dan Kulak, Environment Canada meteorologist.
Kulak said that the 1.8 centimetres of snow that came through Feb. 29 dropped us down to number eight.
READ MORE: Calgary set to make weather history for February
These above seasonal temperatures have made this winter the sixth warmest so far with a mean temperature for December to February of -3.3C. The mean temperature for the warmest winter ever in Calgary (in 1910) is 4.4C, according to Kulak.