Winnipeg warms up with record January thaw

The warm weather in Winnipeg has broken a 15-year-old record.

In 2002 there were 44 consecutive hours of above 0 C temperatures in January.

As of 11 a.m. on Sunday, Winnipeg had 55 hours above 0 C, setting a new record for a warm spell, according to CBC meteorologist John Sauder.

"You think back eight or nine days ago and we were dealing with blowing snow and had extreme cold warnings," Sauder said.

"Now, just a short time later, we are talking about … a record January thaw — temperatures above zero for a period of time that is longer than we've seen for a long time."

Sauder explained that the polar jet stream, which transports cold Arctic air southward during the winter, has moved far north of Winnipeg and the entire western part of Canada is experiencing very warm air.

"When we were in the colder spell we had a big upper trough, meaning the jet stream went way down into the south, almost down into Texas and Northern Florida … There was nothing to stop that cold polar air from moving south," Sauder said.

The pattern has shifted well to the north, allowing warm and moist air to move into southern Canada.

Normal temperatures for this time of year are a high of –13 C and a low of –23 C.