The spring that is now coming to an end has been one of the warmest ever recorded in Northern B.C., according to Environment Canada.
The spring in Prince George was the warmest recorded since 1942 while Terrace had the fifth warmest spring ever recorded.
Environment Canada meteorologist Lisa Coldwells explained that Environment Canada does not keep historical temperatures of Burns Lake, but said the temperatures in Burns Lake are more similar to Prince George than Terrace.
Although this spring has been was one of the warmest ever recorded in Northern B.C., this trend is not expected to continue over the summer.
Coldwells said spring was the "last gasp" of El Niño, which has been declining since December 2015.
As El Niño dissipates, temperatures during the upcoming summer are expected to be near average.
“It looks like summer will be just slightly above normal,” said Coldwells. “Almost a normal type of summer temperature wise.”
Although temperatures are still above normal for most of June, as Burns Lake moves into July and August the region will start seeing more typical temperatures.
Coldwells also pointed out that May was a dry month in the Burns Lake area, and that this trend will change in the next couple of weeks.
"Now we’re seeing the return of upper lows, that brings lots of showers, so we’ll certainly be getting frequent showers and that will add more moisture into the system.”
According to The Weather Network, from mid-summer 2013 through most of last summer, there was a persistent pattern across North America which featured warm and dry weather across Western Canada, with cooler weather for most of Eastern Canada.
However, this pattern began to break down towards the end of last summer and that trend should continue for this summer.
The Weather Network says that while most of Canada will see warmer than normal weather through the summer, the focus of the summer heat is expected to be across the Great Lakes and into the Maritimes.
"The west will still have its share of hot and dry weather, but excessive heat and drought should not be as big of a concern as it was during the past two summers," says The Weather Network.
For the upcoming fall, Coldwells said it's likely that La Niña conditions will take place in Canada. La Niña is the opposite of El Niño and it could bring colder than normal temperatures.
However, Coldwells said it’s still too soon to predict how strong La Niña will be this year.
“There’s no indication yet at how strong it will be, but a La Niña type winter tends to be a slightly cooler winter and also wetter.”
When asked if La Niña would impact Northern B.C., Coldwells said it's still too soon to know.