Warmer-than-normal temperatures expected in Halifax this fall

That’s according to the Weather Network’s forecast for the next three months

HALIFAXtoday\ Meghan Groff

Halifax can expect warmer-than-normal temperatures over the next three months.

That’s according to the Weather Network’s fall forecast.

“Nova Scotia and Halifax are seeing some of the better weather of the fall season,” explained meteorologist with the network, Doug  Gilham.

“Ocean water temperatures are running well above normal, so that helps to keep the temperatures up as we go through the fall, in contrast to other parts of the country, where temperatures are falling more quickly.”

However, that warm water has a downside as it’s expected to contribute to higher-than-normal precipitation levels.

“We do expect an active conclusion to the hurricane season,” Gilham told HalifaxToday.ca.

September is the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, and although Nova Scotia has had some close calls, we’ve managed to avoid a significant storm here in Halifax so far this year.

“The threat is there to still have some impacts,” he said. “That doesn’t mean you’ll have a damaging impact, but even a system passing well to the south could deliver some heavy rainfall.”

And Gilham cautions we may want to savour the fall weather.

Ontario and Quebec are expected to be impacted by a pattern change that could bring an early start to the winter weather, and that could spill over into Maritimes.

“We don’t think it will necessarily be a brutal start to winter, but it’s not going to be quite as mild or gentle as what we have seen in many years,” Gilham said.

“We’ll have to deal with winter weather a little bit earlier than we’ve gotten used to in many years, but it’s much too early to talk about whether that means a white Christmas.”