Deep-freeze expected to last till mid-March

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/02/2014 (4318 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Whiteout conditions on the Trans-Canada Highway. Frozen water pipes. More than double the number of -30 Celsius days.

Winnipeg’s winter has been extraordinarily bad, the worst in 35 years. And there are few signs things will return to normal, pre-spring conditions.

Since December, there have only been nine days where the average temperature hovered above -10 C. Most of those occurred during the Riel Day long weekend, when Winnipeg experienced a short-lived bout of spring fever.

The average daily high last month was two degrees colder than normal, and this month it’s six degrees colder. And where there would normally be only a dozen -30 C days over a typical Winnipeg winter, we’ve had 26 so far.

All that has prompted dramatic increases in water-main breaks, traffic accidents, highway closures, school closures, snow-clearing delays and general kvetching.

According to Environment Canada, Manitoba can expect more of the same for at least a few more weeks.

“I don’t think we’re going to be back to normal temperatures until the second week of March,” said Natalie Hasell, warning-preparedness meteorologist. “Overall, the month has been colder than normal… Chances are things aren’t going to change all that much.”

Today’s high will be -22 C. This time last year it was -2 C.