Don't put away parka yet, chief weather watcher warns
Last Updated: Monday, March 10, 2008 | 9:12 AM ET
CBC News
Eastern Canadians shouldn't pack up the snow gear just yet because the winter that won't end isn't going away any time soon, the country's top weather predictor said Monday.
A pedestrian walks along Wellington Street on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 5.
(Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
"What a winter it has truly been," Environment Canada's senior climatologist David Phillips said Monday as people in Eastern Canada cleaned up from a weekend storm that dumped up to half a metre of snow on some parts.
He warned that the monster storm isn't likely the last big snowfall because 20 per cent of Eastern Canada's snow comes after the first day of March, while 15 per cent of that comes after the first day of spring.
"Don't put away the snow shovel. Don't put away the parka or the balaclava or the booster cables because winter is always slow to leave Canada and spring is reluctant to arrive," he said.
This winter has lived up to a prediction Phillips made in November, when he warned Canadians would face the worst winter in roughly 15 years.
Ottawa and Montreal are on track to break records set in 1970-1971, while Toronto could break a record set in 1939.
"I'm kind of hoping we break a record. It will give us a badge of courage … 'I survived winter 2007-2008,' " he said.
'Psychologically worn out'
One of his favourite stories of the winter has been the snowfall in Ottawa, which has the odd distinction of being the world's snowiest national capital.
Snow covers Charlottetown streets earlier this year.
(CBC)
"I must admit I thought that record would never be broken," Phillips said of the 444.6 centimetres of snow that fell 36 years ago.
Phillips said while he takes no delight in the misery of a tough winter, he's pleased with the accuracy of his prediction because people usually only remember the failures of weather forecasters.
"When you kind of get it right, you wish people would reflect on it," he said.
While he joked that people in Eastern Canada are likely in great shape from all the shovelling, he said the winter is taking its toll.
"Psychologically, I think we're worn out. Not only [is it] the amount of snow we've had, it's the number of days with snow," he said. "Every time you look out, either it's collecting on the ground or it's just even a trace snowing in the air."
Some cities have seen snow collect three out of every four days this winter, he said.
Eastern Canada 'in their crosshairs'
Phillips said Eastern Canada's heavy snowfall can't be blamed on cold northern air.
"You don't get a lot of snow from Alberta clippers, Siberian air. They don't have a lot of moisture."
Two men inch their way down De Maisonneuve Street in Montreal.
(CBC)
Instead, the frequent and high snowfalls can be chalked up to slightly warmer temperatures and moisture-heavy weather systems coming from the southern United States — California, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and the Carolinas.
"It's almost as if they've got Eastern Canada in their crosshairs," he said. "They're like bowling balls on the rack — one after another. It's just relentless. And it's been that way probably since the third week in November."
A weather phenomenon called La Nina is also playing a role, he said. The mass of cold water off the southwest coast of South America typically brings colder air to Western Canada and more snow to the East.
Phillips warns warmer spring temperatures and high snowbanks could be a dangerous combination. There's almost a "perfect storm" of conditions for spring flooding across the East, he said.
"If there is a rush to spring and spring rains, there could be flooding in many rivers in Eastern Canada," he said. "We want a slow coming to spring with no rain."
With files from the Canadian Press
