Mild weather puts some winter outdoor activities on ice
Some Winnipeggers waiting for colder temperatures and more snow for skiing, skating
Some Winnipeggers are enjoying the relatively mild weather so far this season, but others are craving more snow and colder temperatures so they can enjoy outdoor winter activities.
Unseasonably mild temperatures in recent weeks mean the ski runs at the Stony Mountain Ski area and Springhill Winter Park have yet to open.
Lots of ppl are asking when we open. We need some colder temps to make enough snow. We will make an announcement as soon as we know!
—@springhill204Stony Mountain's website pegs Dec. 12 as its tentative opening day, but it adds, "We need cold weather for snowmaking!"
The weather is also keeping Wes Barker from making outdoor ice surfaces at the Robert A. Steen and Crescentwood community centres. Those surfaces are not open to the public yet, and he said it could be weeks.
"Everyday you're asked, 'When's the ice ready? When's the ice ready?' And you just got to be patient," he said.
"Normally we have our ice in second week of December. Second week of December is next week, which it's going to be pretty tough to get the ice in when it's plus-four."
Skating in sweaters
As well, there is an upside to playing shinny in mild temperatures, as June Ibbitt-Gatti explained.
"Most people aren't wearing jackets and we're all going in pretty much sweaters and vests," she said.
However, there may not be many cold days coming up. Earlier this week, Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips said models point to temperatures "clearly well above normal" through December.
He explained that warm air caused by the El Nino effect is behind the mild temperatures. The average temperature was –1 C in November, Phillips said; the average in November 2014 was –9 C.
Phillips added that there could be fewer cold-weather days this season.