Prairies enjoy ‘wacky’ warmth
January in Winnipeg . . . and above zero?
Instead of snow, temperature records are the only thing falling across much of the Prairies so far this winter.
The mercury was expected to be above zero Wednesday in Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Calgary — where people are normally bundled up against the cold or out shovelling snow. Calgary was expected to hit 13 C and Maple Creek, Sask., reached 16 balmy degrees by early afternoon.
Environment Canada meteorologist David Phillips said the warm trend has been going on since December and doesn’t show any sign of letting up.
“Clearly it’s been sort of un-prairie like,” Phillips said.
“I mean you’d expect the first Siberian Arctic air to come pouring down across the Prairies, fill every nook and cranny, and then head east. It’s just not been that. Snowfall totals are down.
“We thought the fascination was a green Christmas, but my gosh a green New Year’s and a protracted January thaw . . . it’s like weird, wild and wacky.”
The sky was sunny in Regina as walkers and joggers went around Wascana Lake on Wednesday.
But in Manitoba the warm weather is hitting some aboriginal communities hard. Grand Chief David Harper, who represents the province’s northern First Nations, has said unseasonably warm weather means ice roads aren’t even close to being constructed. The winter transportation system is vital in Manitoba. The province estimates some 2,500 shipments of staple items are transported each year by trucks over 2,200 kilometres of icy road instead of being flown in at great expense. Manitoba RCMP have also warned people to be aware of lake safety. All frozen water bodies are considered to be unsafe because of the mild weather. Warm weather will likely continue for the next few weeks, with temperatures possibly hitting record levels in parts of southern Alberta.