Warm Winter Days

As a little kid, I can remember is being bundled up in a snow suit and going out into and playing for hours in the mounds of snow. As I grew up, those memories changed to my friends and I pulling out the sleds and finding some very large hills, most of which I look and now and ask, “Was I crazy?!”

As an adult, I feel like I have very little winter memories. Then again, the winter activities now are shoveling, cleaning off the cars, dreaded winter driving, etc… all memories you don’t want to recall!

I started reminiscing on those good old winter days today, after getting in my car yesterday and seeing this:

(Temperature reading – January 12, 2013 in Niagara Falls, Ontario)

After this “winter” day in January, I started to do some research. How have the winter temperatures changed from when I was young?

The following statistics are from the Weather Network for Toronto, Ontario: 

The average temperature for January over the last 30 years is -4.2 degrees Celsius with a record high from 1967 of 16.1 degrees. Compare that, to the stats for January, 2013 to date:

After putting everything together, this January is not significantly warmer than we have seen on average over the past 30 years, despite the last couple days of very warm weather. So instead of reminiscing on those good old winter days, maybe it is time I make some new winter memories with these warm temperatures in mind! Yesterday, Mike and I went out and ran some errands with the windows down, soaking up the sun and enjoying the warm breeze. We completed the afternoon, playing with our big man, Rocco outside in the backyard. He however did not seem to enjoy this warm January day as much as the rest of us. He just loves the snow! He kept running to the one little snow patch left, eating whatever he could.

Check out some of my other recent posts on our changing weather paterns and some tips on what we can do to help Mother Nature. Because although it was a beautiful weekend here in Niagara, there are signs of the effects our lives have on the enviroment in every part of the world.