Winter in Windsor 'missing in action' says Environment Canada

If you love winter, it's not been a good season for you so far. 

Dave Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada, thinks Windsor "forgot how to snow."

"You normally would have 28 or 29 centimetres [of snow] by now," said Phillips. 

Windsor's only had 2 centimetres of snow so far this season. 

"Last year at this time you had those days below minus 10. You've had none of those days this year."

Despite one of the coldest falls on record and snow in November, the first half of winter has been "balmy," says Phillips.

"The first half has been missing in action, but the second half will be more seasonable, colder, with more snow than we've seen."

According to Phillips, it's been "Vancouverish" in Windsor this winter.

"Temperatures in the Windsor area are 6 to 7 degrees higher than normal," said Phillips, adding that there have been more rain days than snow days.

"Right now it's not looking like we're going to see much snow. We're going to see more of a flip-flop, back-and-forth kind of winter."

Phillips said usually systems with snow flurries are followed by bands of colder air — but this year those cold systems are being followed by warm winds from the south.

"We're seeing things we've never seen before," said Phillips — and that makes it challenging for meteorologists to publish accurate forecasts.

"The weather seems more extreme, longer-lasting," said Phillips. "There are challenges because those specifics of weather have changed. It has a different personality."