EDMONTON – With above seasonal temperatures expected over the weekend, it’s a great time to get outside. But as some Edmontonians found out Friday, it may be easier said than done.
“We’ve had to be closed the last few nights,” said Mitchell Van Straten. “It was just too warm.”
Van Straten has been the outdoor operations assistant with the Pleasantview Community League for the past three years. He says the temperatures over the past several days have been too warm to keep the ice at the outdoor rink in good skating condition.
“We were closed last week because it was too cold. And now it’s suddenly too warm this week. It’s just up and down, it’s like a roller coaster.”
Van Straten says this winter’s weather has been a bit of a struggle for ice crews. Clearing snow off the ice has been more challenging due to the sheer amount the city’s received. And on Wednesday, Van Straten says crews were forced to clean up piles of pine needles, after strong wind gusts blew them onto the ice surface.
“It is a lot of work and effort that the rink management team puts in to trying to maintain the ice in all these different weather conditions.”
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Edmonton City Centre hit a high of 6.3°C on Friday, which is about 25 degrees above the seasonal low. While balmy, it’s not a record for the City of Edmonton. The record was set in 2009, when the temperature hit 8.9°C on January 17.
“At this time of year what we depend on for temperature changes mostly, is the wind direction,” explained Global Edmonton’s Chief Meteorologist Nicola Crosbie.
“When we get a warm wind from the southwest, it brings all the warm air up from the Pacific coast and it funnels in over the area.”
Watch below: Nicola Crosbie’s seven day forecast
While a few of the community ice rinks were closed, some Edmontonians still managed to get out and enjoy the ice and warm weather Friday night.
“It’s beautiful. It’s gorgeous. After our cold winter it’s a nice break from it all,” said Shelley Fekete, who was skating with her daughter at the Strathcona Community League outdoor rink.
“This has become a Friday evening routine for us, just to get her out and good family time.”
The City of Edmonton outdoor ice rinks at Rundle Park and Mill Woods Park were also closed Friday.
With files from Quinn Ohler, Global News.
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