Warmest winter ever recorded in Canada

Yes, it's official. This is the warmest winter in Canada since temperatures were first recorded in 1948. Come to think of it, it was a really strange winter. I managed a good week's worth of skiing between Christmas and the New Year, then all of a sudden it started to rain in the first week of January. It kind of felt a little like fall all over again, or even a little like spring. The dead of winter which usually plagues January never came, apparently because the wind patterns that bring the cold air from the polar ice caps were "stuck" (apologies for the non-technical language) over the North American continent. Apparently the phenomenon did not affect the Europe or Asia.

It was more or less back to normal in February, but by March it became apparent that the ski season was coming to an end much earlier than normal when the slopes started to report spring conditions. The Rideau canal opened for skating barely a day in December before closing due to the rain, reopening just in time for Winterlude in February. I've been out on the canal only twice. Pity. It's now closed and doesn't look like it's going to open again till next year.