Feeling the Freeze in Europe? Blame Canada!

At this moment in my hometown of Port Alberni, it is 10.6 degrees Celsius (51F). “Normal” for this time of year is more like 5.6C.

By contrast, Moscow, Russia is currently enjoying -15C weather. This is actually an improvement from last week, when the temperature plummeted to -30C, but still far from the 4C average temperature for this time of year.

Sadly, this froze many Russians to death.

A couple days ago, I found an article on the CBC where Environment Canada weighed in on why it is so unseasonably warm in Canada, and the opposite in Europe. Forgive me for I have lost the link and after much frantic searching cannot find it. So I will paraphrase.

Apparently, Canada usually has a sink of cold, Arctic air sitting over Hudson’s Bay and Baffin Island. This phenomenon is what pulls down Arctic air from the North and into Western and Central Canada.. thus giving Canadians it’s traditionally cold and snowy winters.

This year, however, the sink has travelled further towards Greenland and Europe… thus pulling down cold air in down from the Arctic and West from Siberia. Making for a record breaking chilliness factor in that part of the world.

By extension, it’s absence has allowed warm Pacific winds to fly unhindered across Canada and much of the US… giving all a warmer than usual winter.

I haven’t been complaining too much about the weather here… but then, in BC, there is not much to complain about. But for the sake of those people in Eastern Europe who are dealing with this cold… I think Canadians would gladly take their winter back.

Aside: That is with the exception of the good people of Iqaluit, who are, right now, suffering through a blizzard with 100kph winds. I’m not sure if it’s *ever* not winter up there.

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