Revelation 16:9 (King James Version)
And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
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http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060313/winter_weather_060313/20060313?hub=Canada&s_name=
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Winter warmest on record: Environment Canada
Updated Mon. Mar. 13 2006 11:34 PM ET
Kristen Brown, CTV.ca News Staff
It's not your imagination; this winter has been warmer than usual. In fact, Environment Canada has just declared this past winter as Canada's warmest on record.
Between December and February, Canadian temperatures were 3.9 degrees above normal.
It was especially balmy in Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, where temperatures were six to eight degrees above normal, but every part of the country got a mild winter.
But every part of Canada got a taste of a milder winter. In fact, this past winter smashed the previous record set in 1987 by almost a full degree.
A recent global project called the Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Study suggests global warming has already caused irreversible damage.
About 120 scientists from 11 countries who were involved in the project said there should be an international focus on minimizing the damage of global warming
But others scientists aren't quick to jump to conclusions about global warming and its impact on the winter.
"There is a tendency to think, 'my God this must be the final proof we needed for global warming.' But you can't say that. It's just another piece of circumstantial evidence," David Phillips, a senior climatologist for Environment Canada, told CTV.ca.
"I'm reluctant to say this is global warming because next winter may turn out to be colder than normal," Phillips said.
If not global warming, what could have caused the warm winter?
"The easy answer is the fact that the source of cold air this winter tended to be more in Eurasia and not North America. So what we got was more Pacific air and not Arctic air," Phillips said.
A warming pattern
According to Phillips, winters in Canada have been consistently warming up since Environment Canada first started to record temperatures in 1948.
"Grandparents will tell you that winters aren't what they used to be and they're absolutely right about that. Winters have been generally getting warmer and warmer and with generally less snow than what we have seen in the past," Phillips said.
Climatologists believe that this warming pattern will continue in Canada.
"I think (this winter) will be a dress rehearsal. It may very well be a glimpse or preview of what winter will be like in the future, where we will be wondering where winter is," Phillips said.
The downside to warmer winters
Although most Canadians have been rejoicing in the relief from the deep freeze - and the reduction in heating costs that come with it - there are also downsides to the increased comfort.
Phillips points to the difficulty aboriginal Canadians have had moving supplies to remote areas without ice roads, the increased costs to mining companies, and the likelihood of increased insects this summer.
"It's not just human beings that have found this winter warmer. It's been comfortable for wildlife and vegetation, which may not be to our liking when we're sipping cool ones on the outdoor patios," Phillips said.
Another possible outcome of a warmer Canadian winter is the increased risk of disease.
"Diseases, viruses and germs will survive the (warmer) winter. ... The best thing about our winter climate in this country is when we get cold winters it kills a lot of those things," Phillips said.
The warmest year on the whole
Phillips also points out that it isn't just this past winter that has been exceptional. The 2005 fall was the second warmest fall, the 2005 summer was the 12th warmest and the 2005 spring was the third warmest on record in Canada.
"Clearly, we can say that the last 12 months have been the warmest year on record in Canada," Phillips concluded.
Although the long term impact is difficult to predict, Phillips postulates that some Canadian stereotypes may disappear.
"Our reputation as the great white north, the land of ice and snow, may be at risk here because what we have seen is rather anomalous weather conditions for the last year particularly," Phillips said.
A global phenomenon?
Although Canada's record breaking temperatures this winter were shared with the United States, it was not a worldwide phenomenon.
Temperatures in Europe and Asia were colder than normal this past winter.
"That just shows you that sometimes weather does balance off. Sometimes you get milder winters here and colder winters there," Phillips said.