El Nino brought Winnipeg warmth, grey skies in February, climatologist says

If you found February grey but mild this year, you hit the mark — it was cloudier and warmer than usual in Winnipeg.

"Overall there are about 25 per cent fewer hours of clear skies," said David Phillips, senior climatologist at Environment Canada. "You're known for your clear skies in January and February and so if it felt a little bit more overcast, it clearly was."

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The past month was just over 2 C warmer than normal with more snow, Phillips said.

Usually Winnipeg gets about 12 or 13 centimetres of snow in February but the city got 21 cm this year. 

The average temperaturewas –11 C. Last year the average temperature in February was about –19 C, he said. 

Each month since September has been warmer than normal, Phillips said.

"You just don't find that on the Prairies," he said. "Typically you go through a month where it's cold and the next one kind of is less cold than normal."

Though Monday is –26 C and feels like –36 with the wind chill, Phillips said there were no days this February when the temperature fell below –30 C.

March is expected to be warmer than normal but that doesn't mean Manitobans should put their shovels away, he said.

"Twenty per cent of your annual snowfall can occur after the first of March, so you're not finished with shovelling, plowing and pushing." 

Phillips predicts Manitoba's warmer weather will continue into April and May because of the residual heat from El Nino.

"We think that flow will continue to be from the west and not from the north, which translates into milder conditions."