If you thought that March seemed slightly cooler than usual, even compared to last year, you wouldn’t be wrong. With temperatures struggling to stay above freezing for much of the month, it was actually the second coldest March in the past 30 years.

Numbers collected by Environment and Climate Change Canada show the 30-year average daytime high is -0.1° and the 30-year average overnight low is -11°. Last month, the average daytime high in Weyburn was -6.4°, with the overnight low averaging -18.3°. The average temperature for the month was -12.35°.

To put these numbers into context, the average temperature last March was -5°, with an average daytime high of 0.1°, and an average overnight low of -10.1°, well within the norms for this time of year. The averages seen in Weyburn this past March were more in line with what we normally see in Weyburn during the months of December or January.

Of course, averages take into account the overall scope of all the recorded temperatures over the course of 31 days, so sometimes those numbers may be skewed by having a day or two of extreme cold, or even a day or two of extreme warmth. Last month, though, was only the fourth time since 1993 that the mercury failed to climb above 5° at any point. The warmest temperature seen was 4.1°.

The last time the month of March was this cold in Weyburn was all the way back in 1995. That year, the average temperature for the month was -14.35°. This was thanks to an average daytime high of -10°, with the temperature not once breaking the freezing mark.

With a colder-than-normal March, what will that mean for April? After all the old adage is April showers bring May flowers, and you can’t have many showers if the temperature remains below freezing.

The 30-year average for April is 11.9°, and an average overnight low of -1.5°. The first week of the month, though, shows that pattern may not play out, at least at first. The beginning of the week will see daytime temperatures well below freezing, before warming up by the weekend.

You can stay up to date with all of the weather by visiting the Discover Weyburn Weather page.