Environment Canada has confirmed that Kenora has broken a 61-year-old overall winter snowfall record.
This winter has been one for the ages, as the region was hit with triple the amount of snow it received the winter before.
“In terms of snowfall from September to June and counting in previous years the record was in 1961, 298.8 cm,” says Gerald Cheng, Environment Canada Meteorologist. “So far from September of 2021 up til now (May 2, 2022) already 305.8 cm, so it’s breaking the record already.”
Last winter, the region only received 102.9 cm of snow from September 2020 until June 2021. Cheng adds that though we are into spring and temperatures are warming up, the chance of additional snow is still possible.
The majority of the snow seen this winter fell in the first four months of the year as a combined 224.7 cm fell between January to April. February saw the most monthly snowfall, as 82.6 cm fell.
The heavy snowfall throughout the winter saw the City of Kenora declare a significant weather event four times. The first came back On January 18, 2022, as 16 cm of snow fell in just a single day. In February, the city was forced to declare a significant weather event twice, the first being on February 1, 2022, and the second on February 20, 2022. Most recently, a weather event was declared on April 13, 2022, as 24 cm of snow fell in just two days.
The heavy snowfall also caused numerous highway closures throughout the winter, due to poor driving conditions, and limited visibility.
As we’re moving further into spring and all that snow that is starting to melt, has caused water levels in Lake of the Woods to increase significantly.
Since April 20, 2022, the Lake of the Woods Control Board (LWCB), has had to slowly increase the outflow from 500 m³/s to 1025 m³/s, with the latest increase coming on May 1, 2022. The level of Lake of the Woods has risen 46 cm (18 in) from April 20, 2022, to May 2, 2022.