New Years Eve of 2018 was cold around all of Canada. Winnipeg was one of the coldest major cities in the country, but hearty Winnipeggers still showed up at The Forks to witness the fireworks display while other cities cancelled their outdoor festivities.
It looks like this year could be similar to the last, which isn’t a standout for this city. Here are the temperatures over the last five New Years, registered at essentially 12:01 A.M. Jan. 1 of their respective year.
Through the last five years, it’s as if Winnipeg has two weather settings for ringing in the new year — bitterly cold and quite mild. From 2015-2017, they were all on the mild side with temperatures over -10 C and wind chill values between -12 and -16. No problem!
Now for 2014 and 2018, it was much colder. These New Year’s Eve celebrations were enjoyed with temperatures close to -30 C and the wind chill values at -37 and -38. This is right up against the threshold for Environment and Climate Change Canada to issue Extreme Cold Warnings (wind chill values of -40 or colder).
New Year’s Eve 2019 is shaping up to be a repeat of 2018. Temperatures will likely be in the mid-to-high -20 C and the wind chill value in the high -30s.
As of Friday morning, Winnipeggers look like they’ll enjoy the fireworks show at The Forks at -27° and a WC value of -37. Brr!