THUNDER BAY — Northwestern Ontario is in the middle of a long stretch of unusually mild and precipitation-free weather.
According to Environment Canada data, through the first four days of January, the mean temperature in Thunder Bay was -7 C.
That's a far cry from the long-term average mean of -15 C through the first four days of the month.
"We're way above normal," says meteorologist Peter Kimbell.
And there's more to come.
The current published forecast shows daytime temperatures reaching between zero and minus 4 through Sunday, compared with normal maximums of about -9 C.
Overnight lows will hover around only -10 C through the same period, or about 10 degrees above normal.
Kimbell suggested most people will welcome this break from Mother Nature "in these tough times."
Looking even further into January, he said that at this point there is no sign the thermometer will dip down to normal before Jan. 15, although he cautioned that forecast models sometimes change pretty quickly.
Kimbell credits a polar jet stream that is tracking unusually far north, keeping colder air away from Northwestern Ontario.
There's also no indication of any significant snowfalls on the horizon in the Thunder Bay area.
"That's the other thing that's kind of unusual. It's fairly dry. No big storms in the forecast. Pretty benign weather," Kimbell said.
