When spring and winter collide: Navigating the month with technology
There is always a threat of big snowstorms during March. Are you prepared?
Experiencing a March where the weather roars like a lion and is gentle like a lamb is not a Canadian cliché. In some regions, March may bring the first signs of spring, with migrating birds, awakening animals, and sunny days. In other areas, residents contend with heavy rain, strong winds, freezing rain, and blizzards that lead to network and power outages, extending Frosty the Snowman’s life into April.
And it seems the lion roars loudest in March. On March 4, 1966, a blizzard with wind gusts reaching 120 km/h slammed into Winnipeg, burying the city in snowdrifts. It was one of the largest and costliest storms in the city’s history. A couple of weeks later, the month revealed its true character when, during a warm snap, melting snow surged down the Red River, with ice blocking its path and raising flood concerns.
Montreal experienced one of the city’s worst March storms on record five years to the day. Winds reached 110 km/h, creating mini-Mount-Royal-sized drifts from the 47 cm of snow that fell. On March 16, 1998, there were no lambs in Calgary, as a blanket of white snow cancelled St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, covering everything green in white.
There is always a threat of big snowstorms during March. (The Weather Network)
“We expect that most of Canada will see near normal or colder than normal temperatures during the month of March,” says The Weather Network’s Manager, Forecast Centre, Dr. Doug Gillham. “While we will experience tastes of spring, we will have to be patient as we wait for weather that consistently feels like spring. There is always a threat of big snowstorms during March, and this year will be no different. March has a reputation for bringing storms, and while not everyone will see a major storm, the threat for storms looks to be higher than normal.”
March’s turbulence can feel unpredictable as it is a transitional month, but technology aids in managing the uproar. This includes enhancements to internet connections. For instance, Rogers Xfinity Storm-Ready WiFi is designed to help extend WiFi coverage every day and keep Canadians connected during unforeseen events, automatically switching to a backup cellular network when an outage is detected. So even when the power goes out, your WiFi remains accessible, allowing you to stay informed about incoming storms with a real-time connection for up to four hours from a rechargeable battery backup.
Technology has also gradually and steadily impacted weather forecasting. In the near future, forecast models generated by artificial intelligence, rather than complex physics-based models, could potentially provide even more accurate monthly and seasonal forecasts.
“March is not any more unpredictable than other maps,” says Dr. Gillham. “However, you never know from one year to the next what you might experience on a given day. Some years the week of March Break feels more like January, and other years it feels like May.”
Staying connected to the weather allows you to prepare in advance, making smarter decisions so you don’t show up to a snowstorm in a t-shirt.