March entered the year yesterday (Tuesday), and the old saying usually goes that if March comes in like a lion it will go out like a lamb or vice versa. But what happens if it arrives and is neither lion-like nor lamb-like? For example, what happens if the morning of March 1st is sunny and calm, but still -23 degrees Celsius?

"I would describe it as more of frozen mutton kind of day," jokes David Phillips, Senior Climatologist with Environment Canada.

For the record, Phillips says that that old saying is not always entirely accurate.

"I've seen March roar in and roar out. I've seen it baa in and baa out," he says. "So I don't think that little weather ditty has any merit."

All joking aside Phillips released his spring weather outlook for southern Manitoba. Phillips cautions Manitobans not to consider putting away the winter parka just yet. Phillips is calling for the month of March to be a little cooler than normal for this part of the province. And, he says there is a good reason for that. Phillips explains that because of all of the white snow still on the ground it is going to take longer for our temperatures to start climbing. The normal high for this time of the year is -4 degrees Celsius. According to Environment Canada, we may next reach that temperature on Saturday.

Phillips says because of all the white snow, the sun's rays reflect off that and then go back into space without warming the ground. He notes once the snow starts to melt and we see some dark soil, the ground can really begin to absorb that radiation.

Even though Phillips is calling for a colder than normal month of March, he reminds us that on average, the month of March is between seven and eight degrees warmer than the month of February. And so, even if this month ends up being a little cooler than normal, it could still be considerably warmer than last month. Further to that, he says we are already seeing an extra three minutes of daylight every day. And, with the sun being higher in the sky, it is extremely noticeable.

"When you are walking along the streets, I mean you can feel that heat on your skin in March, where you couldn't in January or February," he explains.

But, just because March is expected to be colder than normal, Phillips says that does not mean that will be the flavour of the spring. He notes April and May should be just the opposite, and the end result should be an average spring in terms of temperatures in southern Manitoba.

As for precipitation, Phillips says most likely we have not seen the last of the snow. In fact, he notes there are a couple of days this week with snow in the forecast. According to Phillips, southern Manitoba usually receives about one-quarter of its snow after March 1st. And, Phillips says typically at this time of the year you get more Colorado Lows which tend to have higher water content.

Meanwhile, Phillips says our winter played out just as they forecast. Even though winter was largely missing in action until December, Phillips says January and February each had 11 days where the temperature dipped below -30 degrees. February ended up being nearly seven degrees colder than normal, making it the coldest February in about 43 years. And, all of the Alberta Clippers helped turn this into one of the snowiest winters since 1963.