Winnipeg has not recorded a positive temperature since Valentine's Day. Here is how long the cold could last
Manitobans waiting for the temperature to warm up this spring will have to wait a little longer.
Several high and low-pressure systems heading south into Manitoba have resulted in below seasonal temperatures in the province, and a reprieve is not expected right away.
“We don't have anything to stop the cold air from coming down. There's no topography or mountains or anything like that, that can block that air," said Natalie Hassell, warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).
"So unfortunately, when the flow is from the north of the Northwest, as it often is, we get these very cold conditions."
Hassell said this particular March weather is unusual.
“We don’t keep stats for the length of time where a temperature hasn’t reached a particular threshold, but we have the number of days we typically see,” Hassell said.
“In Winnipeg in March, using the 1989 to 2010 Canadian climate normals, March has about half the month reaching temperatures above zero. Maybe not a lot above zero, but still reaching above zero. The fact we haven’t had any in Winnipeg this year is remarkable.”
Hassell said the last time a March in Winnipeg did not record a temperature above zero degrees was in 1899.
Winnipeg has not had a positive temperature reported since Valentine’s Day this year. Hassell says a brief break from the cold is expected this week, but the temperature will still be below average for this time of year.
“We're still going to stay below normal even well into April,” she said. “It will probably be until the middle of April at the earliest before we see actual normal conditions in Winnipeg.”
THE IMPACT ON MANITOBA’S FLOOD SEASON
Jay Doering, a civil engineering professor at the University of Manitoba, says a later snow melt typically means a larger peak for flooding.
“What we see happening is that things just kind of keep going sideways, and then all of a sudden it jumps up to the to the temperature that would be appropriate for that particular point in time. And when it does that, you miss the opportunity to incrementally sort of work your way up and get a gradual melt,” he said. “So you go from freezing, and all of a sudden now you've got relatively warm temperatures.”
Doering adds despite the potential of a later melt, he doesn’t see it having a big impact on forecasted flooding in Manitoba this year.
“At this point in time, we're not seeing that conveyor belt of back-to-back low-pressure systems that dealt so much precipitation last year,” he said.
“In fact, if anything, what we've seen is that conveyor belt seems to be a little bit further to the south.”
-With files from CTV’s Mason DePatie
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.