Taking winter's measure: Here's how 2018-19 stacks up so far

Friday certainly felt like winter had arrived in Ottawa, catching many by surprise and prompting some to wonder whether we're in for an especially cold or snowy one.

So how does the winter of 2018-19 stack up so far? Good question. Here's some context for you.

We looked at the number of days from first snowfall to last each winter over the past six years, based on Environment Canada's daily reports.

Measured this way, the winter of 2012-13 takes the cake for longest. The first flakes fluttered down Oct. 12, four days after Thanksgiving, and the snowfall didn't let up until May 13, the day after Mother's Day.

The average stretch between first and final snowfall was 170 days. This winter's first snow fell on Oct. 27.

Baby, it's cold outside

Here's another way of taking winter's measure: we looked at the time span between the first fall day the mercury dipped below 0, and the last sub-zero day of spring.

In 2012, the warm weather came to a screeching halt on Thanksgiving Day, Oct. 8. In 2015, the cold snap lasted until May 23, the weekend after Victoria Day. That year has 206 sub-zero days, or nearly seven months.

This fall's first dip down to those regions of the thermometer came on Oct. 14. So however you measure it, this winter's no record-breaker — yet.