Mild, dry weather to continue awhile longer

A11

Charles Perry

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Is Metro Moncton enjoying the benefits of an extended Indian summer?

Over the past three weeks, southeastern New Brunswick has basked under unseasonably warm temperatures and mostly clear skies with not even a hint of snow. And more of the same is expected over the next few days.

This has led a lot of people to remark that they are reaping the benefits of Indian summer. But is that the case?

Although it is a phenomenon everyone talks about, there is no scientific definition for Indian summer, Chris Scott of Oakville, Ont., forecast operations manager for The Weather Network, said yesterday in a phone interview.

What is considered Indian summer varies between provinces and even from area to area within provinces, said Scott. Some regions will have Indian summer occurring in the late fall or early winter, while others define it as a January or February occurrence, he said.

A certain number of days in a row with temperatures reaching a certain high is the measuring stick that is used by many in determining if it is Indian summer, said Scott. And the required number of consecutive days and required temperature also vary from area to area.

But for sure, there is one common thread running through the folklore surrounding Indian summer, said The Weather Network spokesman. And that thread, he said, is that it is a period of unseasonably mild weather happening sometime within the normally coldest months of the year.

And the mild November this year, which Canadians have been receiving all the way from the eastern Rockies to Newfoundland, would definitely qualify the past few weeks as Indian summer within that general definition, he added.

Scott said the mild weather is expected to continue in the Maritimes through the rest of this week. It should cool off a bit on the weekend, he said, but temperatures would still stay above normal levels for this time of the year.

Even then, however, there are no "very cold, snowy patterns" emerging for the area anytime in the next week or two, said The Weather Network spokesman.

The nationwide stretch of mild weather, caused by a northern loop in the jet stream, is gradually breaking up, said Scott, noting "little chunks of Arctic air" are starting to come down into the Prairies and central Canada. But it is not the whole mass, yet, he said.

However, it appears that the Atlantic provinces will be the last to start feeling these cold air masses, he said. The reprieve from winter, he added, will continue in the region a little longer than the rest of Canada.

Snowmobilers and others who are into outdoor winter activities will have to wait for a while longer, said Scott.

* Charles Perry's Weather appears daily.