Balmy January breaks records in N.L. as winter businesses suffer

So far in 2021, Rob Clarke's days consist of maintaining his snowmobiles and looking for silver linings.

"I've been going throughthe Weather Network,going through the Farmer's Almanac, checking everywhere Ican think of for some sign of hope, but nothing is leaning that way," said Clarke, the owner of Clarke Motorsportsnear Hampden.

Clarke'sbackcountrysnowmobile guiding and rental companydepends on the normally reliable deep snow that covers the Gros Morne area for half the year. His guiding season usually kicks off just after Boxing Day, but so far in 2021, he hasn't headed out for a single tour.

"My income this year is zero, so far," he said."There's expenses going out and nothing coming in. So it's hard, hard to stay afloat."

Every bare patch of ground cuts deeper into Clarke's bottom line. The last time he ventured into the backcountry, he didn't even need a snowmobile.Not that he could've used one; Gros Morne National Park usually begins allowing some snowmobiling as of Nov. 1, and this year, it's been delayed until at least Feb. 11.

"Riding on a side-by-side in January, especially up in the Northern Peninsula, that's unheard of. Ihaven't experienced that one before," he said.

Record-setting warmth

That relativelybalmyNewfoundland and Labrador weather hasn't just been noteworthy it's set records, with Wabush, Hopedale, Mary'sHarbour and Makkovik all marking their warmest Januarys ever.

As for the rest of Environment Canada's weather stations in the province?

"Most, ifnot all of them, have ranked top 10 all-time warmest Januarys on record," said David Neil, an Environment Canada meteorologist based in Gander, where for the first time ever, itsweather station never dipped below the 10 C mark a record also set in St. John's.

I have never ever, in my 60 years, seen it like this, personally.- Andy Brake

Overall, the province's temperatures for the month have averaged anywhere from 1.5 C to7 C above normal for the island, Neil said, and even higher for Labrador, where Hopedale's normal 18 C average was, 7.6 C.

"A whole 10 degrees above normal, that's a huge number," said Neil.

Storms passing to the west of the province have brought up the temperatures, as haveeasterly flows bringing in air across the North Atlantic that has consistently been warmer since the fall, said Neil.

"We've just had these persistent warm events that have brought up these warmer temperatures and really haven't had a prolonged cold outbreak from continental North America to offset that," he said.

'It's evolve or die'

While Labrador had big dumps of snow in January with Happy Valley-Goose Bay getting hit numerous timesNewfoundland has been mostly missed, with skimpy snowfalls recorded at many weather stations from Stephenville to St. John's.

Deer Lake's normal snowfall through to Jan. 31 is just shy of 250 centimetres, enough to completely bury a Ford F-150 and still have half a metre on top to slide on. But so far this season, that Environment Canada station has measured almost two-thirds less, with 95.4 centimetres fallen overall.

Fifteen minutes awayin Cormack, the manager of Rocky Brook Cabins saw far less than that as he looked out his window Wednesday morning at a thin, 15-centimetre layerof snow, with a mild drizzle adding insult to injury for abusiness that is 85 per cent dependent on snowmobilers.

"This is not enough.There's still too many rocks and stumps showing for people to ride at ease, and they're just not going to come until the conditions improve," Brake said.

It's the second hard year in a row at Rocky Brook. Airport traffic has dried up as flights have been slashed, the pandemic ground tourist traffic to a halt mid-season last year, and even before that, Snowmageddon kept the bulk of their business East Coasters in search of snowy adventures closer to home.

"I have never ever, in my 60 years, seen it like this, personally. Sowe really don't have a whole lot to go on," Brake said.

"We're all quite aware of global warming, and it certainly seems to be affecting our province in a big way."

Globally, 2020 tied with 2016 for the hottest year on record, rounding out the hottest decade as climate change intensifies. In their small corner of the world,Brake said he and his team have been talking about the need to move away from weather-based business and diversify, whether it be offering hot tubs or renovating unused space to focus on weddings and gatherings.

"It's evolve or die," he said.

"We really don't have a whole lot of choice. Imean, we can't sit around hoping that next year, we're going to have our snow back,because we don't know."

In the short term, February may not totally reverse the warm winter trend of 2021, but Environment Canada does offersome hope.

"Things may level out a little bit as we get into the second week of February, get a little closer to what we'd expect in a typical February," Neil said.

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