Between a green Christmas and a shortened hibernation season for bears, Montreal is experiencing its second warmest winter since weather data was recorded in 1871, Environment Canada said.
Meteorologist Gregory Yang noted that the average monthly temperature for December, January and February was four degrees above normal.
He said that on February 27, the temperature reached 14.9 degrees, a record for that date. Only the winter of 2001-2002 was warmer in Montreal.
“The records go back to 1871, so it’s quite a long time,” he said.
The hot temperature even prompted Genie, the black bear at the Écomuseum zoo in Saint-Anne-de-Bellevue, on the island of Montreal, to come out of hibernation earlier than usual.
A spokeswoman, Sarah Prince-Robin, said the bear made its first official outing Friday, just in time for the start of spring break for many students.
She suggests that a series of factors could have contributed to the early awakening of the animal. This large mammal is often guided by temperature and barometric pressure to understand that spring is upon us.
“At the Écomusée we consider that bears are even better than marmots at announcing spring,” she says.
Yang said the average temperature was -1°C in December, -5.3°C in January and -3.4°C in February. This compares to the 1981 to 2010 averages of -5.4°C, -9.7°C and -7.7°C, for the same respective months.
Across Quebec, the month of December was marked by light snowfall as well as temperatures well above average, Environment Canada reported at the beginning of January. Although snowfall in Montreal was near seasonal averages due to a storm in early December, the city was one of many places in the province to experience a Christmas Green.
January and February were also mild, although sometimes marked by sudden temperature swings that frustrated ski slope operators as well as fans of winter sports like ice skating and cross-country skiing.
The Weather Network’s spring forecast, released last week, suggests most Canadians can expect similar conditions this spring. The network predicted a warmer-than-normal season, but also warned Canadians to prepare for seasonal “sudden mood swings.”
Forecasts released Wednesday predict that the unusually mild winter seen across much of the country due to El Niño conditions will set the stage for even nicer weather in the coming weeks, but not without some interruptions.