Cold weather, rain continue this week in Canada. Frost advisories in some areas

Chief meteorologist Kalin Mitchell shares the Maritime weather forecast for May 21.

Colder weather, clouds and rain will continue to persist across Eastern Canada this week with frost advisories in place for Atlantic Canada and northern Ontario.

There are different reasons for the colder than usual temperatures and rain, according to Kelsey McEwen, chief meteorologist and co-host of CTV’s Your Morning.

Lower pressure higher up in the upper atmosphere can lead to cooler than average temperatures, or active or unsettled weather, which will lead to an increase in precipitation in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada by Friday.

These trends could continue into June, according to McEwen.

Frost advisories

There are frost advisories this morning in parts of Atlantic Canada, according to Environment Canada, with temperatures expected to dip overnight close to the freezing mark going into Thursday.

There are also frost advisories for parts of northeastern Ontario, with temperatures also expected to drop near the freezing mark overnight tonight into Thursday morning.

Due to colder temperatures, there was a possibility that some areas of Saskatchewan, particularly near Weyburn, saw snow this morning.

On Friday, north of Fredericton, N.B., a mix of snow and rain could be present.

Rain in Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Canada

Slow and steady rain is expected for the next few days, particularly in Ontario and Quebec, which will move into Atlantic Canada by Friday.

In Ontario, the rain is coming in northward and has affected areas of southern Ontario.

In the next 24 hours, 10-20 mm of rain is expected across southern Ontario, with areas around Toronto and Niagara Falls projected to get as much as 20-21 mm.

Some areas like Toronto, Barrie and Niagara can expect to see upwards of 30-35 mm of rain between Thursday and Friday.

While Ontario is predominantly seeing precipitation today, Quebec could see cloudy weather today and rain Thursday into Friday.

Cooler than average temperatures

In Atlantic Canada, there are several areas with single digit temperatures, like St. John’s, Mary’s Harbour and Gander, N.L., and Charlottetown, P.E.I., but more areas will reach double digits forecasts today such as Halifax, as well as Fredericton and Saint John, N.B.

In southern Ontario, seasonal temperatures are usually around 20 C around this time of year, but some areas are seeing half of that, making it the coldest three-day stretch these regions have seen during this time of year in the last several decades, according to McEwen.

She says this is preliminary due to the afternoon and not the morning temperatures, as the mornings are still within seasonal ranges.

Toronto, Ottawa and Windsor are around 15 C, while Montreal and Quebec are also near the 13 C mark.

In Calgary and Edmonton, temperatures are hovering around 15 C.

Temperatures are expected to increase tomorrow in Alberta, Saskatchewan and parts of Manitoba, while parts of Eastern Canada, including Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto, will start to see warmer weather next week.