January Thaw

Farmers and ranchers know it's hard enough to get a good snowpack in southern Alberta. With our frequent chinooks, keepng what little snow we get on the ground is even harder. And the January thaw doesn't help. The "January thaw", or the bonspiel thaw, is a weather phenomenon that happens in mid to late January as mild Pacific air stretches across North America. It’s like nature hits the pause button on winter, bringing a brief stretch of warmer weather. Snow starts melting, ice turns to slush, and people start to wonder if spring is showing up early (spoiler: it’s not). There's still a lot of mystery as to why it happens, but it's believed to be tied to natural variations in the jet stream, which can allow mild Pacific air to cross the country from west to east. The January thaw isn't all good. It can be damaging to crops and vegetation... as it can briefly disrupt the dormant winter cycle.