2nd Warmest Spring on Record

     With an average mean temperature of 6.8°C, Spring 2012 (March/April/May) was the second warmest Spring in Winnipeg since records began in 1872. That is 3.4 degrees above the normal of 3.4°C. This Spring beats the old second place which was held by 2010. It sure didn't take long to beat that record!

Top 5 warmest Springs in terms of mean temperature:

1.  1977      7.5°C
2.  2012      6.8°C
3.  2010      6.6°C
4.  1987      6.3°C
5.  1878      6.0°C

     March is really the reason why this ended up being the second warmest Spring on record. The so called ''heat wave'' we experienced in March will be famous for years to come, and commonly be known as ''March Madness''. It was the warmest March on record in Winnipeg, with over 25 records broken throughout the month. A summary of the extremes we experienced in March can be seen here.

     Even though April and May were not well above normal, an exceptionally warm March sealed the deal for the second warmest Spring. As a result of the warmth, Lake Winnipeg experienced the ealiest ice breakup in recent memory.

     Spring 2012 will also be known for its thunderstorms. The thunderstorm season began earlier than it ever has before, with strong thunderstorms on March 19. That storm produced incredible downpours of rain with frequent and intense lightning, unprecedented for so early in the year. More storms rumbled through the city on March 27, and by the end of the month, 43.5 mm of rain had fallen over the city. As a result, it was the 3rd wettest March on record.

     April was extremely dry with no thunderstorms in the city, however May made up for that. Several thunderstorm events during the second half of the month dumped significant amounts of rain over the city. By the end of the month, up to 125 mm of rain had fallen in western parts of the city for the entire month.

     In total, 180.5 mm of rain fell in the city from March to May. That is double the amount of rain we would normally see.