For the past month, temperatures in most of southern Ontario have been above 0C and just several days ago, temperatures reached double digits. The unusually warm December has got everyone talking about the weather.

But the snow is finally here. Environment Canada welcomed the New Year with a snowstorm warning for Toronto and southern Ontario on Sunday. Snowfall began on Sunday night and it was expected that 10-15 centimetres of snow would accumulate.

The snowfall is sure to provide relief for many ski resorts in Ontario. Ski slopes at Blue Mountain showed patches of grass and mud, while at other resorts such as Snow Valley and St. Louis/Moonstone, many slopes were closed. Some ski resorts have yet to open due to the lack of snow, such as the Centennial Park Ski Chalet, which is located in Etobicoke.

The lack of snow was a disappointment for many who had planned ski trips for the holidays. Third year student Hien Li and his friends decided not to cancel their ski trip and went to Blue Mountain last Friday, with disappointing results. “I went skiing on Friday and the conditions were terrible. It was dirty. All the snow melted and it was raining. We didn’t get much skiing done.”

With the spring-like weather over the past few weeks, skiing conditions were less than ideal. But Li agreed the weather was great. “The weather was nice but we can’t plan much for skating and winter activities,” he said.

Many others took advantage of the warm weather and spend more time outdoors jogging and walking. Danielle Griscti, a first-year life science student, was one of them. “I didn’t go skating and I didn’t go skiing but I just spent more time outside. Taking walks and sitting out on my porch having coffee,” she said.

However, Griscti hoped there would not be too much snow for the remainder of the season. “I hope we won’t have a longer winter…I just hope it’s not too much snow and ice so that we can walk across campus,” she added.

Li shared the same view but said the snowfall did not cause any major delays. “Traffic was slow but it wasn’t that bad. I drove today and the in-roads were all right.”

According to the Weather Network, the normal high for Toronto in December should be 1oC and the normal low should be -4oC. For January, the highest should be 0oC and the lowest should be -7oC. Forecasts for this week includes more flurries with temperatures dropping to -8oC, which is the normal temperature for this time of the year.

Although the latest mildness has been unexpected, worries about global warming may be premature, notes associate professor of geography and environmental science William Gough from U of T’s Scarborough campus. “It’s certainly consistent with global warming, but there is also inter-annual variability to consider,” said Gough, noting that last December was very cold. Gough did point out however, that winters in the past twenty years have been more mild. “On average, the winters have been getting warmer.”