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Yes, things are getting back to normal with the weather

If you've noticed it's been a bit colder than normal in town, you aren't alone.

It has been, according to Environment Canada, but there is some relief on the way.

It hasn't been the best of springs to date with chillier-than-normal daytime highs, followed by chillier-than-normal nighttime lows and even some snow thrown in for good measure over the past few days.

Natalie Hasell, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said the data compiled from last week showed well-below-normal figures.

“From May 13 to 18, we started off with the daytime high at around zero to 2.5 C, so not too warm,” she said. “Overnight, it got as low as -9.6 and that's pretty chilly for this time of year.”

This week will see a bit of an improvement, said Hasell, but still not around where things ought to be.

“Usually, we see temperatures at around 13 C or so and our forecast says it should around eight to 10 C,” she said. “Nighttime should be around the freezing mark and that's close to average for this time of year.”

Members of the Yellowknife Wado Kai Karate Club do exercises before starting an outdoor class at Somba K'e Park on May 12. The temperatures were rather chilly that evening but things are expected to get back to normal this coming week, according to Environment Canada. photo courtesy of Blair McBride
Members of the Yellowknife Wado Kai Karate Club do exercises before starting an outdoor class at Somba K'e Park on May 12. The temperatures were rather chilly that evening but things are expected to get back to normal this coming week, according to Environment Canada.
photo courtesy of Blair McBride

In terms of a long-range forecast, Hasell used what's known as the North American Ensemble Forecast System (NAEFS), which takes several different models into account in order to provide a good idea of what things could look like leading into June.

For Yellowknife, it's an up-and-down next couple of weeks.

“We will see slight increases in the first week, followed by another larger increase in the second week,” she aid. “It should be a bit above-normal, not by much, but it should be a break from the chilly temperatures.”

Precipitation-wise, not much is scheduled for the next little while on both the seven-day and NAEFS graphs but the one thing we won't be seeing is snow.

“Snow in May is normal in your part of the country but we have no more snow until later in the year,” said Hasell. “I would still recommend people keep a jacket on hand because it can cool down very quickly.”

With the warmer weather coming, Hasell, who specializes in warning preparedness, said now is a good time to get ready for anything that could mean emergency measures coming into effect.

She said it's especially important with Covid-19 in play because what you did in prior years may not be the same this time around.

“There will be some thunderstorms – not now but later on – and it's never too early to make sure you have everything ready in case you need to shelter in place or evacuate,” she said. “Make sure your house is in good shape, fix up any cracks in the foundation, update your emergency kit, have supplies on hand, things of that nature.”