SASKATOON – It can be difficult to find someone complaining about the weather when it’s two degrees Celsius on Dec. 3, but for many of Saskatoon’s seasonal businesses, snow on the ground means money in the bank. Chris Thorimbert is a University of Saskatchewan business student, who along with two of his friends, started MWT Snow Removal in November.
What was he expecting to see this winter?
“A lot more snow than this. A lot more clients too. But people are kind of shying away just because there’s nothing really on the ground,” Thorimbert said.
Despite owning a snow blower, he and his friends haven’t used more than a couple shovels this year. The City of Saskatoon has only seen one major snow event so far this season, coming on Nov. 25.
Meteorologists credit the mild weather to El Niño, a phenomenon caused by warm surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Peru.
READ MORE: Anthony Farnell’s winter forecast: We could see record warm start across Canada
Saskatoon’s unusually warm conditions have led to snow clearing companies like Dan the Snow Man Snow Removal offering discounts to customers under contract.
“I read the almanac and it showed that it wasn’t going to snow very much,” said Dan Triol aka Dan the Snow Man.
As for businesses who’d rather keep the snow where it lands instead of moving it, Table Mountain’s slopes likely won’t open until Dec. 19. Last year, its skiing and snowboarding season started the first weekend of December.
The average daytime high for Dec.3 is minus six, but the long-term forecast calls for highs above the freezing mark.
That means the snow on the ground right now might not be there for long.
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