Environment Canada is forecasting a September that's slightly cooler than normal for southern Manitoba.

"Don't fear, that doesn't mean it's killer frosts and skiffs of snow," says Climatologist David Phillips. "You can have as a theme of the month being cooler than normal but still removed from the frost line."

In fact, Phillips says with overnight temperatures in the +5 to +11 degree range for the next while, there is no frost in sight. And while Environment Canada is forecasting a September with below average temperatures, Phillips says October looks warmer than normal. By the time November is over, Phillips says it should be a fall in southern Manitoba that's normal or slightly warmer than normal with average precipitation.

Meanwhile, Phillips says we've just come through a summer that closely resembled what Environment Canada was forecasting. He notes the middle part of the country was expected to have temperatures near normal for the months of June, July and August. By nightfall August 31st, Phillips says the average temperature for that three month period was .2 degrees below average.

Phillips says it's been a trying summer for farmers in Manitoba due to the lack of significant heat. With only a few days surpassing the thirty degree mark, he says the number of thermal units for growing crops has been down.

"What farmers are probably really nervous about is the growing weather over the next little while," says Phillips. "The next week or two you want to keep away that frost and get lots of sunshine."

And even though September is historically on average six degrees cooler than August, and the likelihood of hitting thirty degrees is difficult, Phillips says there should still be more pleasant days than fowl days ahead of us. In fact he says the normal high this time of year is still 22 degrees.

As for the winter months, while The Old Farmer's Almanac has warned Manitobans to brace themselves for a repeat of last year's deepfreeze, Phillips says Environment Canada is forecasting something different.

"We're not going to forecast a winter like last year and with El Nino, those warm breezes might blow all the way to Steinbach and other areas, so we may see less arctic air and more pacific air," suggests Phillips. "The winter seems like a more gentle kind of winter compared to last year."