January Spring - Unusual Canadian Winter

While there is no scientific merit to what I have been observing lately, I think it’s worth while describing the weather trends Canada has been seeing the past few years.

I remember back in grade nine or ten when the snow on the sidewalk was literally over 5 feet high. We had to break the snow banks with our feet so we can get on the bus. By January, wearing a scarf, gloves, and a few layers were a must if you wanted to feel somewhat warm outside. Snow days were abundant. We had two or three every year, and those were the best days of the winter. That’s when snowball fights started, tobogganing reached its peak, and most importantly homework was dropped.

In a particular incident on Christmas Eve about seven years ago, my parents and I thought that we were in desperate need of “bizir” (sunflower seeds) to complete the coziness of the holidays. Given that the roads resembled an ice rink outside, and that all stores were closed, my dad and I decided to take the 5 minute walk to a nearby convenience store. After 30 metres of our walk outside, we couldn’t stand the -35 C temperature and decided to go back home to bundle up some more. Undeterred by the arctic-like weather, we marched on wearing two layers of everything, to get our holiday dose of bizir. That was probably the worst weather I ever had to endure, and the fact my dad and I still remember that night is a testament to how cold it was.

Two years ago just before the Christmas break, half the people didn’t make it to work because of an extreme snow fall. The ones who showed up, were a few hours late. There was so much snow that week, my boss and I pushed a car out of a small snow trench.

Last year I declared that the official start of winter on November 18^th, after my car drifted a bit while driving. After that post winter wasn’t too shy with the snow, enough to put our recently acquired snow blower to good use.

Fast forward to today and we’re in mid-winter without a hint of snow on the ground. It snowed once this winter, but it lasted a mere day before the grass reappeared. Two days ago it was 10 degrees, a few days ago I drove without a jacket, and when I came down from Florida the weather was spring like. Tomorrow the Environment Canada predicts a high of +2!

While I don’t mind the mild winter, I can’t help but be utterly worried about the unusually warmness of it. I actually want to see some snow. Maybe I’ll regret saying that later, but I really believe that the only reason I’m so refreshed during spring time is because of the long Canadian winter. Not to mention the extremely refreshing feeling of getting up early on a sunny Saturday, looking at the snow covered, then opening the door of the house and taking in the crisp, clean, cold air.

But I’m optimistic. I think this is the calm before the storm. I suspect February will make up for all the missed snow, and perhaps spill onto March as well. It’s about time we had another snow day.

technorati tags: Global, Warming, Canada, Snow, Winter, Temperature, Season, Weather