Hamilton continues to see mild temperatures this winter

The last days of the year are shaping up to be mild and gloomy, with dangerously thick fog and higher than normal temperatures in Hamilton.

Instead of skiing, some people are golfing, with quite a few golfers out on Thursday at Chedoke Golf Course.

Normally at this time of year, the golf course is set up for tobogganing.

Adil Mozal and his friends say it’s a treat to play golf in the winter.

“We saw the weather and we said well it’s a little wet, but this, we are about to hit 2024 so why not come out and play some golf at the end of December,” Mozal said.

“We’ve played in pouring rain, and different types of conditions so we said why not come out here, the temperature’s perfect.”

“I used to snowboard but there is no snow, and I think that it’s a matter of weather but hopefully later on in the season we will get some accumulation,” another golfer, Fiaz Lethani said.

Not just golfers were putting this course to use. People were out jogging, exercising and walking their dogs.

Meanwhile at Glen Eden Ski Slopes in Milton- it was closed. There is barely any snow and what was on the ground is turning to slush.

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It seems like it’s been warmer than ever this December in Hamilton, but Gerald Cheng from Environment Canada says it has been warmer in the past.

“When we check back at the statistics at Hamilton airport, the warmest December occurred in December 2015. That was another El Nino episode and right now we are sitting at 5.3 degrees which puts us third place behind 2015 and 1982,” Cheng said.

The El Nino weather phenomenon is one of the reasons for the milder weather.

It happens when the warmer Pacific Ocean currents cause milder weather across Canada rather than allowing in the usual harsh arctic air.

And it’s not just our area, most of Southern Ontario is warmer than normal.

“Temperatures have been mild but they will be on their way down this weekend and that will set us up for the start of 2024, we’ll be near normal for a change so we shouldn’t put away our shovels just yet,” Cheng said.