People & Places
My Manitoba
I think the perception of what -45oC is going to feel like is actually worse than the real life experience says Catherine Duffin, who moved to Winnipeg with her family in 2006.
To anybody who is planning to move to Manitoba, an enormous factor is the hugely diverse weather that the province experiences. We have experienced -49 through +45 and we have only been here for a year! If you speak to any hard-core Manitoban they will always refer to it being a dry cold rather than a damp cold. I have to say that they are right. When we lived in the UK and the temperature dropped to +5 we were freezing! Yet +5 here during the winter months is positively tropical! The truth is that dry cold is manageable with the right clothing, when you get home and the heating is on you are warm within minutes. Damp cold that we experience in the UK is really rather hard to warm up from. The reality is we spend much more time outdoors here than we ever did during the winter months in the UK.
When you are snow covered for five months of the year you have to adapt to some extent. We spend our days building snow men, tobogganing, skating on frozen lakes and rivers and making snow angels, to name but a few. We visited a local swimming pool last year when the temperatures reached -38. I walked the 60 foot from the door to our van and my hair had completely frozen into medusa-styled clumps. I am sure that I could have snapped it off if I had dared! When the temperature reached sub -20 (you know this as when you breathe in the moisture in your nose crackles) it is probable that when you spend a while outdoors frost bite will and can set in. This is something that you need to be aware of. We have relatives in Winnipeg but nobody explained to us what the onset of frost bite looked like. When the children are outdoors for a while their cheeks become red, when they have been out too long a white patch begins to appear within the red and that is time to go in.
The winters can be frustrating though. It's not easy trying to push a supermarket trolley through the snow with children in tow when the temperature with windchill is -30. In essence, it is down to the clothing that you wear. Buy a good winter jacket; they can be as cheap as CDN$40 and go up to CDN$400. Have super-warm winter boots; again, they range from CDN$30 to CDN$130. You will need snow pants, which cost CDN$20 to CDN$200. Also, have an abundance of toques (hats), gloves, mittens and scarves on hand, when you move to Manitoba you will realise that all of the trends that we followed in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, leg warmers, ear muffs and Ugg boots are actually necessary and functional! When you buy your clothing the majority of manufacturers will document the temperature ranges so you know that your jacket or boots will be good for the coldest times.
Life changes as you adapt to your environment. We have had about five inches of snow over the last couple of days so have had to clear the drive way at least four times (great workout!)! If you don't then the snow will compact and turn into ice – you will never remove it then! Driving in the snow is an experience in itself! When the first heavy dump of snow arrives you tend to take it easy but this is only for a day or two and the then you become accustomed to the change in driving conditions. It is not difficult but it is a change so we do approach with caution. Life-long Manitobans struggle with the first snow dump so we are in good company! What never ceases to amaze me is that as soon as the snow has arrived the snow ploughs are out clearing first the major routes and then the minor roads. It is incredible how well coordinated they are. Last New Year we were going to spend the night with friends. The snow plough had done the major roads where we live but had not yet completed the minor roads. The end of our road was blocked with a snow bank so we took a run at it with the car and couldn't get through! Luckily, we live in a bay so we had an alternative route but these kinds of issues become daily occurrences. When the temperatures reach sub -30 it is recommended that you plug your car in…Yes, that's right, if you pop the bonnet of your car there will be a plug tucked away in there. You plug this into a socket at your place of work or at the mall and this will prevent your engine freezing. When you fill your car with gas you need to add a bottle of fluid that will prevent ice crystals from forming in your fuel pipes.
Manitoba has an abundance of activities to become involved in during the coldest months. We only experience a handful of days that reach sub -30 during the winter months, there are festivals, snow boarding and ski runs, light displays and the list goes on…! It is easy to focus on the extreme weather that we live through during the winter but the spring brings the most amazing electric storms and as Manitoba is prairie and very flat you get an amazing show. The summer is simply beautiful and very hot. Life is what you make it and it would be hard not to buy into the experiences that the weather creates when you live in Manitoba. Although I approach this winter with slight trepidation, because I know what to expect, when the first snow falls it is hard not to get excited. The snow looks so beautiful and it brings with it such fun. The skies are always blue and the sun is always shining – how could you be miserable! While the winter is cold and long, when I look at the alternative of grey skies, damp cold and rain, I wouldn't change it for anything!
Related articles:
Winnipeg: Gateway to the west
Keeping warm in Winnipeg
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