More snow looms as spring activities, businesses stunted By: Katlyn Streilein Posted: 5:05 PM CDT Monday, Apr. 18, 2022

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/04/2022 (886 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If you’ve had enough of the snow and cold, we’ve got bad news.

Another five to 10 centimetres is expected to fall on Winnipeg by Wednesday, while temperatures will remain well below normal.

The city’s total snowfall so far this 2021-22 season is 212 cm, Rob Paola, retired Environment Canada meteorologist, reported. That makes this season, measured Oct. 1-May 31, the sixth snowiest winter on record.

However, Winnipeg could soon climb further up that list — with second place a mere 4.7 cm away — as an Alberta clipper reaches the city around sunrise Wednesday, said Kyle McAulay, a meteorologist for Environment Canada.

The system is expected to bring wet, slushy snow, with temperatures hovering around freezing.

More precipitation is expected on the weekend, but McAulay said the “pretty significant Colorado low” will likely fall as rain throughout Winnipeg and the Red River Valley.

“Some of the models are showing quite significant levels of rainfall, but there’s some uncertainty in the system, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on it,” he said Monday.

It’s not just snow keeping city residents in a winter state of mind.

Winnipeg’s temperatures have been chiller than normal in recent days. A typical high for this time of year is 12 C, with a low of 0 C.

“We’re barely getting above 0 C for our high, so it is very unusual,” McAulay said.

Winnipeg set a record for the coldest April 17 on record Sunday, with a low of -13.7 C. The previous record low for that date had been -13.3 C in 1953, Paola reported.

“We’re barely getting above 0 C for our high, so it is very unusual.” – Meteorologist Kyle McAulay

Winnipeg could set another individual record Monday night, with a forecast low of -16 C.

The cold and snow haven’t been good for some businesses.

Nicole Bent, president of Shelmerdine Garden Centre, said customers were ready to plant this time last year.

“We’ll just have to wait and see what Mother Nature does. She will eventually thaw,” Bent said with a laugh.

Shelmerdine’s behind-the-scenes operations are on schedule despite the weather, she said. The centre’s annuals sprouted some time ago and, on Tuesday, staff will pot close to 6,000 of these plants.

“In a week, our hanging baskets will be hitting the floor, and those are filled with colour. I think that’s what people are craving right now: colour.”

Bent believes the late spring won’t be an issue for a business that does 60 to 70 per cent of its annual business in April and May. Customers will likely buy the same amount of plants they usually do, just in a shorter time frame, she said.

“We’ve experienced a lot of new gardeners over the past two years (amid the COVID-19 pandemic), and I think that’s going to build in momentum.”

The weather will, however, cause a slight delay in the arrival of fruit trees from B.C., and the purchase of local trees, Bent said.

Guido Cerasani, owner of Shooters Family Golf Centre and Restaurant, said this spring is the “polar opposite” of the last, which had golfers out on the course in early March — a month sooner than the average year.

“We’ll probably be lucky if we can open May 1, so we’re basically running at the same pace we did in 1997, the year of the major flood,” Cerasani said, adding Shooters driving range opened April 30 of that year.

Golfers are eager to return, and as soon as the course’s playable areas are free of snow, the season can begin, he said.

“I’ve been at this almost 30 years,” Cerasani said. “Typically, I always believe that things average out. We had a great last year weather-wise, and this year is the equalizer.”

Kevin Versteeg, owner of Classic Landscapes, said his landscaping company likely won’t start its on-the-ground work for another month, putting it three to four weeks behind a typical year’s schedule.

“It’s a challenging year for people in our industry,” Versteeg said. “We just go to do everything we can to get our work done in the short time we’re given.”

Landscapers must wait until the ground thaws before they lay patio stones to avoid settling, he said. The earth needs to be dry enough so workers won’t damage areas around a project site, Versteeg added.

It’s not unheard of for the city to experience snow well into the month of May.

Winnipeg was hit by 29 cm on May 11, 2004, and two-three cm on May 17, 2015.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca