The Rideau Canal Skateway by the numbers
The Rideau Canal Skateway remains closed to skaters after a mild January and it is unclear if it will open before or after its record latest opening date of Feb. 2.
Preparations are underway for Winterlude, which begins Feb. 3, and while in-person activities are back, including Snowflake Kingdom in Jacques-Cartier Park, the canal is one of the main attractions for the annual winter festival.
Here is a look at some stats about the Rideau Canal Skateway over its history.
- First opening date: Jan. 18, 1971
- Earliest opening date: Dec. 18, 1972 and 1981
- Latest opening date: Feb. 2, 2002
- Earliest closing date: Feb. 13, 1984
- Latest closing date: March 25, 1972
- Longest skating season: 95 days, 1971-72 (Dec. 26 to March 25)
- Shortest skating season: 16 days, 2015-16 (Jan. 23 to Feb. 25)
- Number of skating seasons that began prior to Jan. 1: 25
CANAL OPENING LATER ON AVERAGE SINCE 1996
There have been 25 skating seasons where the Rideau Canal Skateway opened in December, but a pre-New Year opening date has become increasingly rare.
The skating season has opened before Jan. 1 only six times since the 1995-96 season, compared to 19 times before that. The skateway opened in December 11 years in a row between 1971 and 1983 and had a six-year December opening streak from 1988 to 1993.
In the canal's first 26 seasons, the median opening date was Dec. 27. In the 26 years since the 1995-96 season, the median opening date has been Jan. 10. Across all 52 skating seasons, the median opening date is Jan. 1.
MEAN TEMPERATURE RISING IN MONTHS LEADING UP TO OPENING
Data from Environment and Climate Change Canada show the average temperature in Ottawa in December and January has been on a rising trend since 1970.
In December 1970, before the skateway opened for the first time, the mean temperature for the month was -10.8 C. In January 1971, it was -13.9 C. In December 2022, the mean temperature was -2.9 C. As of Jan. 30, the mean temperature for this month is -5.6 C, but that doesn't include the data for Jan. 31.
In the 2001-2002 skating season, when the canal had its latest opening date of Feb. 2, the monthly average temperature in December 2001 was -1.4 C; while in January 2002 it was -4.9 C.
Other factors, including precipitation such as snow and freezing rain, also contribute to the canal's opening; however, trendlines show a steady upward trend in both December and January average temperatures.
The National Capital Commission says incoming colder temperatures this week are good news for the canal, but there is so far no official opening date. Winterlude begins on Friday.
METHODOLOGY
Data on the opening dates for the Rideau Canal Skateway come from the National Capital Commission. Data on mean monthly temperatures in Ottawa in December and January between 1970 and 2023 come from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). Graphs were created in Infogram using ECCC data.
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