Say it ain’t snow

The numbers don’t lie, and the numbers tell us we’ve been getting off lucky this winter. Waterloo Region has received only 28 centimetres of snow since the first few flakes fell back in November, which is only about a third of the usual amount. And when compared to last year’s brutal winter the snowfall amounts are only about one-fifth what they were in January of 2009.

David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada, tells 570 News normal snow amounts for this time of year would be about 75 centimetres. And by mid-January, 2009, we were buried in 139 centimetres of snow. As for snowbanks, Phillips says those are virtually non-existent this year, too. We have only about five centimetres of snow on the ground right now compared to 25 centimetres at this time last year. Phillips says the absence of significant snow events has been the primary reason. While it has been cold, the most snow we’ve seen in a single dumping so far this year is four centimetres. Last year, we had 15 snowfalls greater than that amount. Phillips believes luck has also played a part as areas to our south and north have seen significant snow this year while Waterloo Region remains in a virtual “snow donut” without a lot of weather activity.

Phillips says all of this has been achieved without the El Nino effect. In fact, he says El Nino is only now beginning to gain momentum and is actually stronger than forecasters first thought. Phillips says the arrival of El Nino typically means less snow and milder temperatures. We will have reached the halfway point of winter in ten days.

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