Canada

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

A Montrealer walks down a path in a Montreal park under snow covered trees following a snowfall Thursday, February 28, 2013 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

One of the country's prominent forecasters says Canadians waiting to feel some spring in their step will have to be patient.

The Weather Network says the average winter conditions experienced across the country will give way to a typical unpredictable spring in the coming weeks.

Director of Meteorology Chris Scott says spring temperatures are expected to hover near seasonal norms in most parts of the country.

He says residents of southern Ontario, Quebec and parts of Atlantic Canada may feel a little more warmth than their counterparts in the west.

Scott says stable ocean temperatures in the Pacific also suggest average levels of precipitation for most of the country.

He says this year's forecast stands in stark contrast to the previous spring, when several of Canada's major cities recorded historic highs.

"You can think of it as a continuation of what we've seen over the course of the winter," Scott said in a telephone interview.

"It's spring, so of course you always get those false starts where you get a few nice days then it goes back, but it's going to be much more of a typical type of spring this year as opposed to what we saw last year."

Last March represented a particularly sharp deviation from the norm, he said, citing figures showing Toronto experienced 12 days during the month when the temperature soared above 15 degrees Celsius.

This past winter marked a return to Canadian form, he said, adding substantial snowfalls and brisk temperatures have defined the season throughout much of the country.