By Jill Sperling

Winter weather persists as spring slowly approaches

Mar 7, 2017 | 10:00 AM

KAMLOOPS — Spring is only two weeks away, but with temperatures plunging below zero at night, and more flurries in the forecast this week, winter doesn’t appear to be ending just yet. 

The cold weather is getting the blame for a 50 per cent drop in business at Mount Paul Golf Course from last year. 

“It affects everything,” said owner Danny Latin. “The restaurant side as well, we’re open all year long, but we thrive on the golfers so the cash flow doesn’t show up, right.” 

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Late snowfalls and colder than average temperatures in Kamloops this March are a stark contrast from last year’s early spring, which saw golfers on the course by February.

“Early February we were on regular greens last year,” Latin said. “We were playing some in January. It was a little different last year. Good different.” 

It was also different for landscaping companies, some of which, like Lyons Landscaping, are still cleaning up after a lengthy winter. 

“Last year at this time we pretty much had our full company going, which is 10 crews installing landscaping, digging holes, just working outside,” Lyons Landscaping owner Colin Lyons said. “This year that’s not the case.”

Lyons says his company is receiving seven or eight landscaping calls a day, enough to keep estimators busy. But he’s not in any rush to see the warm weather return.

“Right now we’re lucky, weather is kind of on our side because we’re renovating right now,” Lyons said. “We’re probably one of the few that are appreciative that we’re getting a bit of a breather with the weather, and it’s not super busy for us.”

While temperatures are forecast to be around 6°C below normal for the next few days with a possibility of flurries, Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist is expecting a change in the weather soon.

“By Friday, Saturday we’re forecasting highs in the high single digits, like 7°C, 8°C, something like that,” Lundquist said. “Then for Sunday and Monday as the flow comes more around to the west we might see double digits, so highs perhaps pushing 10°C, and warming up too with overnight lows hovering just around zero, or a little above zero.”