THUNDER BAY -- After a spell of unseasonably warm weather it looks like winter is now here to stay.
Those who were looking to enjoy some outdoor activities on Sunday got a chilly welcome, with wind chill values dipping below – 20C.
That trend is forecasted to continue into the next week, with daily highs expected around – 15C and wind chill values below – 30C on Monday and Tuesday.
That serves as a stark difference from much of December to this point, where there were 14 days with a high temperature above 0C.
That is good news to city rink attendants, who have had a hard time maintaining ice at many outdoor rinks with the balmy temperatures.
Several of those rinks across the city were closed, with ice becoming too patchy and too warm to be able to flood.
The one rink affected the least was the one at Prince Arthur’s Landing, due to its ice plant.
“When it is cold like this it’s way easier to maintain,” rink attendant Kevin Kellett said at the waterfront ice sheet on Sunday afternoon.
“This is perfect weather for us. It makes handling the ice a lot better and there’s less maintenance. It’s just dependent upon the traffic volume.”
Attendants are expected to flood most of the other boarded rinks during the coming week to get them back into proper condition.
There were well over 100 people who laced up their skates at the scenic rink by mid-Sunday afternoon. Michelle Donato was there with her seven-year-old daughter Mia and five-year-old son Nico.
She said the marina rink is their favourite skating spot in the city, especially when it gets a bit colder.
“This is always nice with the fireplace in the middle. They get tired quick so they can sit and have a rest by the fire or they can go inside. You can’t always do that at an outdoor rink,” she said.
