'There will be some shovelling': Alberta clipper could make this winter Winnipeg’s second snowiest

As Manitobans continue to dig out from this past week’s spring storm, forecasts calling for more snow could push this winter even higher in the record books.

Kyle McAulay, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said Winnipeg has been hit with 212 centimetres since October, making it the sixth snowiest winter on record so far.

But McAulay said there’s more snow in the forecast for this week.

“Looks like around five to 10 centimetres of snow,” McAulay said. “Not a lot but definitely a bit of heavy, wet snow so there will be some shovelling.”

McAulay said the expected snowfall means this season will likely surpass the 216 centimetres of snow in 1915-16 to hit second snowiest of all time but will remain well back of the winter of 1955-56 when the city was walloped with more than 252 centimetres.

Winter enthusiasts relished the spring storm that extended the season for some of their favourite activities. Snow that made it possible for Karen Debenedictis to cross-country ski on April 18 making it the longest season she’s ever experienced.

“It’s great,” said Debenedictis. “Just to say you did it on this day, in the sun.”

It’s thanks in large part to volunteers at Bourkevale Community Centre in St. James.

Scott Nystrom, a community centre volunteer and a cross-country skier himself, pulled out their equipment to machine groom a ski trail in a school field that’s been used for cross-country skiing all winter long and now well into spring.

“You look out the window and you kind of go, ‘ugh, all this snow again,’” Nystrom said. “It’s time to move on with the season but then you put the skis on, you get out on the trail and you realize, ‘yeah, you know what, this is pretty sweet.’”

But even those embracing this latest blast of snow are ready to hang up their skis and watch winter move along.

“But what can you do?” Nystrom said. “You can’t do anything about it, so you may as well ski.”

With the forecast calling for more snow, volunteers are already talking about grooming the trails again to extend the season even longer.

Flood forecasters have pointed to cooler temperatures as slowing the melt and runoff, which they have said will help mitigate the risk of significant river flooding which is often an annual spring problem in parts of Manitoba.

An updated river forecast is expected this week.