Has fall felt warmer than usual to you so far? It’s not an illusion.
“It should have been colder already, and we know we’ve had quite a warm October, and of course, that’s just lengthened the wildfire season as well, so certainly it’s behind the times,” said Terri Lang, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).
Lang explained that this winter is expected to be influenced by El Nino conditions, which generally results in warmer and drier weather in much of Western Canada, including the North.
“The El Nino conditions are forecast to last into the spring,” she said. “So I would be surprised if it gets a lot colder than average.”
However, she cautioned that long-range forecasts are not very reliable, especially when it comes to precipitation.
“We’re just not that good at it,” she admitted. “That’s just a result of the kind of models that we have and just the way the atmosphere works.”
According to the latest forecast from ECCC, there’s a higher probability that it will be milder than average from November to January in Yellowknife. However, the precipitation pattern is not showing a clear trend and it’s hard to predict how much snow will accumulate over the winter.
“It’s winter in Canada. We know it’s going to get cold. We know it’s going to snow,” Lang said. “Just at the end of the day, when we add everything up, is it going to be warmer than average and drier than average? That’s what we’re expecting.”
Snow removal strategy
With heavy snowfalls making roads, including some main thoroughfares, impassable for some vehicles last winter, the City of Yellowknife is planning for snow removal for this winter.
“The city monitors annual weather trends and if it’s observed that snow levels are increased for more than three years, an increase to the snow removal budget would then be considered,” said Chris Greencorn, the city’s public works director.
He noted that the budget for snow removal for 2024 has a “slight increase” compared to 2023. The snow and ice control budget for 2023 was set at $1.86 million, as detailed on page 88 of the municipal consolidated budget. This figure encompasses various snow-related tasks, staff wages, contracted costs and winter sanding materials.
Looking ahead to 2024, the budget for snow and ice control is slated to increase just barely, to $1.87 million.
Greencorn said the city has about 10 vehicles that can be used for snow removal. Some of the vehicles are multipurpose and are used for other projects within the city.