Balmy weather hits record high
Posted Mar 16, 2010 05:27:05 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
There’s no winter coat required this March break.
Temperatures in HRM hit a new record high on Monday and forecasters say we could break a few more before the week is over.
The former record for March 15 was set in 2000 when the mercury climbed to 10.2 degrees. On Monday, it was shattered as metro residents basked in a high of 12.4 degrees.
“We’re into a late-winter heat wave,” says News 95.7 meterologist Richard Zurawski. “This is our equivalent of the 45 degrees that they get in Europe in the summertime.”
Last week, Environment Canada named the winter of 09-10 one of the driest and warmest on record. Zurawski says the local warm, dry weather has certainly been unusual.
“We get about one-third of our snowfall in March,” he said. “This has been an atypical winter any way you cut it.”
But the atypical winter has not been good for the city’s budget. Metro Halifax reports the city has spent $3.1 million more than was budgeted for snow removal, and expects to be $4.5 million over budget by the end of the season.
Winter Works Superintendant Gord Hayward says crews still had to work several days to deal with minor snowfalls, which can cost as much or more as isolated large storms.
