Falher public works crews were busy removing snow from local streets in the wake of last week’s snowstorm.

Residents of the Peace Country were digging out last week from a severe snowstorm which dumped in excess of 24 centimetres over a two-day period from Dec. 2 to 3. The storm rolled through the region overnight Dec. 2 and picked up in intensity the following day, bringing with it reduced visibility and poor driving conditions. Its passage also brought with it a subsequent warning from Environment Canada on Dec. 5 for windchill values in excess of -40 Celsius mark and a one-day record snowfall amount of 17 cm. “Last week’s heavy snowfall was the result of a strong frontal boundary stretching through the Peace Country, which pumped in moisture-laden air in from the Pacific,” says Brian Proctor, warning preparedness meteorologist. “That moisture clashed with a cold Arctic airmass stationed over Western Canada resulting in upsloping winds and heavy snow.” The weather pattern is chalked up to a phenomenon widely recognized as the “Pineapple Express.” “It’s characterized by a strong and persistent flow of atmospheric moisture originating from the Hawaiian Islands and extending into the Prairies where it eventually collides with colder air,” says Brian Proctor warning preparedness meteorologist. The Pineapple Express is driven by a strong, southern branch of the Polar jetstream and is usually marked by the presence of a surface frontal boundary with waves of low pressure traveling along its axis. And that’s exactly what we got! The recent persistently cold weather pattern was the result of the southern migration of a deep core of Arctic air which has affected most of western Canada since the last week of November. To date the region has received about 56 centimetres of snow. The cold weather was expected to moderate to more seasonal daytime high values of around -2 C. by the beginning of this week. Environment Canada predicts harsh winter The storm comes just days after an eerie prediction by Environment Canada for residents across Canada to brace for one of the coldest winters in more than 15 years. Experts chalk it all up to the formation of the weather phenomenon La Nina which is expected to translate a temperature anomaly of below-normal temperatures through the months of December, January and February. Much of Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Alberta and parts of British Columbia and southern Ontario will also see above-normal precipitation. “La Nina is thought to occur due to increases in the strength of the normal patterns of trade wind circulation,” Environment Canada’s website says. “For reasons not yet fully understood, periodically these trade winds are strengthened, increasing the amount of cooler water.” These cooler waters result in wetter-than-normal conditions in the northern hemisphere and changes to the jet stream over North America. “The shifted jet stream contributes to large departures from the normal location and strength of storm paths. The overall changes in the atmosphere result in temperature and precipitation anomalies over North America which can persist for several months,” Environment Canada says. In the past, La Nina caused drought and floods around the world. It also whips up more hurricanes in the Atlantic. The effects of the weather phenomenon have already been felt in parts of Western Canada. Earlier this month, a fierce storm dumped upwards of 80 centimetres of snow on Whistler, B.C. over a period of 48 hours.