Dealing with a long, cold winter

CTV Barrie: Long, cold winter Sick and tired of winter? You’re not alone. K.C. Colby gives us an idea how this year compares to past years.

To many people this winter has already meant too much cold and too much snow. But how much have we had to deal with and the reason behind it?

Ron Richer owns a snow removal business and says this is the busiest season he has seen in years.

“It’s been a long hard winter; the snow never seems to stop.”

We’ve had an above average snowfall this winter and weather historian John Dunsmore says it could have something to do with a shift in wind direction.

“The prevailing winds are from the south west. It used to be from the northwest.”

Dunsmore says moist air from the Gulf of Mexico is making its way to our area where it clashes with cold air – producing snow. Dunsmore keeps track of weather patterns for more than 40 years. He’s collected daily weather data for Environment Canada.

“The minimum temperature last night (Thursday) was -27. The present temperature is -13, which is quite unusual for this time of year.”

Over the last two months we’ve had 20 days when the temperature dipped below -20 or colder. This year Kempenfelt Bay was frozen completely over by December 15^th – the second earliest date on record. The earliest was December 8^th back in 1976.

Spring is set to arrive March 20^th at 12:57 p.m. – but even when it does arrive professional gardener Kyle Stasiuk says the fallout of a bitter cold winter and ice storm will be evident around trees and bushes.

“I imagine a whole bunch of broken treasures will be found under the snow in the spring.”

Some businesses are in no hurry for spring to arrive. Amanda Desbarres says here tanning salon has never been busier.

“The clients that are too busy to take vacation – I find they’re here tanning two or three times a week.”

If the cold and snow of winter is getting you down and you need a place to go and get a breath of spring, the Barrie Greenhouse on Ferndale Road is open to the public, free of charge, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.