A very warm Winters day, Jan 5 2012

Leif Norman

It reached +7.8°C in downtown Winnipeg today (Jan 5 2012) at about 4pm.

Must be a record warm spell for the prairies!

Normal Winnipeg Temperatures in January are -13°C to a low of -24°C

So grabbed my new Canon 17-40mm f4 L lens and walked around to see how people were reacting to the weather.

Winnipeg temperatures over the past 14 days from the U of Winnipeg weather station. (Jan 5 2012 back to Dec 23 2011)

 

It hit the high at 4pm Jan 5 2012

From the Weather Network Website:

“January 5, 2012 — Wednesday was another day of record temperatures in western Canada. In Alberta, the warm, dry and windy weather also contributed to grass fires.

Thursday’s record temperatures in Manitoba

Forget winter. It’s been looking and feeling a lot more like spring in parts of western Canada this week.

For the third consecutive day, temperature records were smashed in parts of the Prairies and British Columbia. The hot spot of the country on Thursday was OneFour, Alberta at 13.4°C, but parts of Manitoba were also well above seasonal.

High temperature records were broken in at least 26 places in Alberta on Wednesday. Calgary soared to 15.3°C, breaking a record set 98 years ago. Temperatures were similar in places like Brooks, Bow Island and Claresholm.

On Wednesday, the hot spot of the country was also in Saskatchewan. Maple Creek soared to a record-breaking 16°C.

Temperatures were also balmy in parts of British Columbia Wednesday, despite the heavy amounts of rain falling.

“We have a weak Pineapple Express bringing the rain to BC and warm temperatures right across western Canada,” says Brian Dillon, a meteorologist at The Weather Network. “So the lows in the Pacific are following the jet stream into the Prairies. We’re also getting some strong Chinook winds off the Rockies, and that’s keeping things mild.”

Frozen bodies of water considered unsafe in the Prairies

The Cold Winnipeg winter has finally come, Jan 17 2012

Still, those Chinook winds also led to some major problems in Alberta on Wednesday. A gust of 117 km/h was recorded in Claresholm. RCMP closed a portion of Highway 2 in the area because of vehicle rollovers due to the powerful winds.

Strong gusts also helped at least two grass fires in the province spread. One, near Fort Macleod and Granum, prompted a state of emergency for the Municipal District of Willow Creek. The other, near Nanton, was sparked when a power line blew over.

While some are enjoying the spring-like temperatures, the lack of snow and ice this winter has others concerned about potential drought in the spring and summer months.

Residents are also advised to be aware of lake safety. Any frozen bodies of water should be considered unsafe due to the mild conditions.”

Cold temperatures on Jan 19 2012, Winnipeg
Manitoba Weather records as of Jan 5 2012

 

 

Puddles in January!

 

The Assiniboine River has not yet frozen over and it is January!

 

 

 

255 Memorial Blvd, Winnipeg

 

 

This is why the people on bikes have mud and sand all up their backs

 

People on the sidewalks of Sunny Downtown Winnipeg

 

 

 

 

"What's with the weather?"

 

 

 

 

This fellow named Steve wanted to take my picture with an old Praktica 35mm film SLR

 

Warm enough for a t shirt in Winnipeg in January

 

 

 

The ice goes drip drip drip

 

the Chinese Can Lady of Winnipeg

 

 

 

 

Winnipeg City Hall

 

Man with one giant blue ball

 

Picture time! They just laughed at me

 

 

The cars can never stay clean in this slushy weather

 

out walking a very small dog

 

Winnipeg's famous Portage and Main intersection

 

 

 

 

There were a few motorcycles, and whatever this thing is, roaring around today! #January in Winnipeg

 

 

The University of Winnipeg's bike racks

 

Campus of the University of Winnipeg