THUNDER BAY — Northwestern Ontario residents who hoped that because spring came so late this year, the odds would favour a warm summer for the region may find themselves disappointed.
The Weather Network has issued its summer outlook for Canada, and it is not good news for the northwest.
The media company says the region can expect "a cool summer."
It blames the predicted path of the jetstream, which is expected to target the northwest with cooler air "at times" during June, July and August.
Environment Canada's current long-range outlook for Thunder Bay is slightly more encouraging.
"Normal or slightly below" temperatures are the forecast trend for the summer, according to meteorologist Gerald Chang.
He agrees the jetstream dipping southward will be a contributing factor.
But Chang said Environment Canada is is still weighing the impact of a "very weak" El Nino, which affects sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific.
"It's not giving us a clear pattern as to how it will evolve, and that's why, when we do these seasonal forecasts, there's always that caveat that if an anomaly or a disturbance comes, it can blow the forecast right out of the water," he told Tbnewswatch on Monday.
Environment Canada is expected to update its summer forecast for the country later this week.
