This week’s mild weather in Ontario led to a record-setting temperature for Peterborough, Ont., on Friday.
According to Environment Canada, Friday’s high temperature of 13.1 C monitored at the Peterborough Airport is a new record high for Feb. 9.
The weather agency says that breaks the previous record of 10.6 C recorded in 1925.
“What’s been interesting about the past few days in Peterborough is we’ve combined milder than normal temperatures and sunshine,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson. “Normally, in the winter there’s a price to be paid when you get sunshine.”
Winter tourism is taking a bit of a hit with several popular activities in the region struggling due to the milder weather, says Joe Rees, the tourism director with the Peterborough-Kawartha Economic Development.
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“We are hosting people who might have booked a winter holiday last year and they are (now) caught by surprise,” he said.
Rees says while summer draws in the bulk of tourists to the area, winter remains a key time for the industry. He says the mild weather this winter has posed a challenge.
“It’s not certainly typical and the things most people are enjoying this time of year on a traditional winter outdoors — snowmobiling, skating on the (Trent) Canal aren’t happening at all,” he said.
Rees says as the milder weather becomes more of a normal occurrence than a rarity, he says the economic approach may pivot to the promotion of year-round activities.
“I think we’re supplying the visitors with fun, interesting and tasty things to do,” he said.
But all is not lost. Coulson cautions that the second half of February may see a return to winter.
“Moving forward this could return to a more typical winter for the second half of February,” he said. “There could still be a bit of winter left to go.”
— with files from Robert Lothian and Caley Bedore/Global News