Mild winter spell worrying some Ottawa outdoor businesses

The RiverOak Skating Trail in Ottawa says this season got off to a great start, but warmer weather the last few days has them worried.

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RiverOak's owner Trevor Jamieson say they had the earliest opening in their history, with skaters taking to the four acres of trails on Dec. 21. After a great first week, with thousands of visitors, the warming weather this week has brought all that to a halt.

The temperature hit plus 7 C in Ottawa on Monday and is expected to stay above the freezing line until Thursday. Jamieson had to close his business down and is now waiting for temperatures to dip to more seasonal levels.

"We have always had a January thaw so hopefully this is our January thaw a little bit early and it stays cold after this. It's definitely a struggle to work with," Jamieson said.

"Thursday it should be cold enough that we can get back out with the Zamboni and then clean it up Friday night to be good again for Saturday."

Environment and Climate Change Canada senior climatologist David Phillips says the days of predictable winter weather patterns are long gone, and not just in Ottawa. Across the country, winter is just not what it once was.

"What we have seen in the past decade is a warming up. It's been in Ottawa, in Canada, we have warmed up at twice the world average in half the time, this is climate change," Phillips said.

"It's been almost a flip of the coin now. We are seeing winters are shorter and not as intensely cold."

For winter attractions like the Rideau Canal, what was a promising start just a few days ago is now a soggy mess.

Phillips says once this warm spell has passed, temperatures should stick below freezing, giving outdoor businesses and the canal a chance to freeze up.

Environment Canada's forecast shows below freezing temperatures and snow returning into the weekend.