Environment Canada says Ottawa residents will have to be patient waiting for warm spring temperatures to arrive

The Rideau River in Ottawa. (Aaron Reid/CTV News Ottawa)

Spring arrived in Ottawa with cloudy skies and cool temperatures, and one of Canada's top weather forecasters says residents will need to be patient waiting for the warm temperatures to arrive.

"Typically, we see the early part of spring can sometimes be a little bit disappointing," Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips said.

Spring officially arrived in Ottawa at 11:33 a.m. Sunday, with Phillips admitting it "doesn't feel like spring."

"Today is kind of like maple syrup weather – four degrees in the afternoon and minus 5 at night. It gets the sap flowing and the water flowing but not great for sitting on patios and enjoying the spring-like weather," Phillips said.

The forecast for the first week of spring calls for temperatures to hover around normal, with rain or snow expected Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

"My sense is I think you have to be patient," Phillips told CTV News at Six.

"We think we should go from slush to sweat, well it doesn't work that way. Spring is the transition season, where you have summer kind of in a couple of days but you have winter lurking in the background."

Ottawa typically sees 10 per cent of its snowfall after the first day of spring. Last year, Ottawa received 2.6 cm of snow after March 20, while Ottawa received 6 cm of snow in April 2020.

Environment Canada predicts Ottawa will see cooler than normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation through March, April and May, while the Weather Network says temperatures will be cooler than normal.

"Late March and April will test our patience with periods of colder than normal weather and even quick shots of later-winter weather," the Weather Network said in its spring outlook for Ontario.

Phillips says April could be a "touch warmer" than normal for Ottawa.

"We see for May-June it really taking off and being much warmer. So you have to be patient."

Phillips says while everyone wants to forget about winter, we don't want to "rush" into the spring and summer temperatures which could lead to possible flooding.

"If we truly went from winter to summer, we'd have a flood problem in the Ottawa area. This year, you've had 50 cm of snow at the beginning of the month and you now have 7 cm now, that's good news. You want to get rid of that snow cover."