THUNDER BAY — If you're tired of the recent spell of cool, damp weather, you've got something to look forward to.
Weather forecasters say the month of May is likely to be warmer than usual in the Thunder Bay area.
Environment Canada meteorologist Steven Flisfeder said "In terms of temperatures, we are expecting above-normal overall" in Northwestern Ontario.
"There's a pretty strong indicator that will be the case especially for areas near the Lake Superior shore. If you get a bit further west, you have a bit less of a warm signal, but still a warm signal nonetheless."
On its website, Environment Canada has published a graphic that points to the probability that May, June and July will all see above-normal temperatures in the Lake Superior region.
Long-range forecasts like this, however, are extremely unreliable.
Although April finished on a wet, cloudy and windy note, temperatures in Thunder Bay are expected to climb to near-normal or slightly above normal starting Thursday and through the entire weekend.
Temperatures and precipitation through April stayed, on average, very close to the long-term normal for Thunder Bay.
The average daytime high was 9.6 C at Thunder Bay Airport, compared with the normal of 9.0 degrees.
The airport recorded 57.3 mm of precipitation, a little above the usual 41.5 mm in April.
Flisfeder said forecast models currently are presenting no clear signal as to whether the region can expect normal levels of precipitation in May.
