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.
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.
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
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.”
