Here we are in May, well into spring and heading for summer. In much of North America though, spells of actual warm weather have only just begun to arrive, and hesitantly at that in many places. Indeed this evening there’s still a frost warning into parts of southern Quebec.
Highway driving conditions at Levis across from Quebec City April 4, 2018. Photo: Pascal Poinlane- Radio-Canada
This has led many climate skeptics in Canada and the U.S to once again to denounce claims of global warming and how that is changing the world’s climate. Trouble is, throughout almost the entire rest of the world, it’s been one of the warmest, if not the warmest April on record.
Global surface air temps for April shows warmer than average temps everywhere except central North America. Image: European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts Copernicus Climate Change Service
While parts of southern Canada were experiencing abnormal cold and snowstorms, parts of England and throughout France were experiencing a heatwave.
Not only did southern Ontario and Quebec and the maritimes get battered by snow and ice storms, but also huge wind storms in April which caused tens of thousands or people to be without power as ice and trees brought down power lines like this tree in a Toronto neighbourhood. Photo: Alison Chiasson-CBC
Down in the southern hemisphere where they’re in Autumn heading into winter, many places broke April heat records and in one area of the northwest, an historical all-time record high of 45.9 Celsius was recorded.
While central North America was shivering, much of the rest of the world was experiencing an abnormally warm April, like this scene in a Paris park on April 18. Photo: Getty Images.
Sydney had 11 consecutive days of temperatures over 25 C, also breaking April records for the city.
As we still struggle with achieving warm spring weather in much of southern Canada, the long range forecast for western Canada for the summer is above average heat, and more or less normal temperatures for central and eastern Canada, if any weather can be classed as “normal” anymore.
Additional information – sources
- The Local (France) Apr 20/18: scorching spring
- Washington Post (via PostMedia): J Samenow: May 8/18: frigid here, hot everywhere else
- BBC: Apr 18: British heatwave
- Mashable- Australia April heat records
- ABC- (Aus) Apr 8/18: record temperatures
- Deutsche Welle: Apr 11.18: Climate change-extreme weather
- Sun UK- Apr 19.18: hottest day in England in 70 years, April heat.
- Guyonclimate: Apr 16/18: still cold enough to fool people
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