Another glorious fall day in cottage country. They sure are hard to beat. “I just get out in as much as I can in nature and enjoy every bit of it,” said Barrie resident Vanessa Pannozzo. “Hopefully it stays nice for the kids. I know every time around Halloween they always get ripped off - we get that snow coming in.” “This is almost El Niño, an early El Niño feeling with regards to what we are seeing,” said Dave Phillips, retired climatologist with Environment Canada. “This kind of weather is what’s likely in store for the coming weeks.” Phillips says the next several months could be memorable from a weather perspective. “Every model I look at, every forecast, whether it be the rest of October, November, November/December, December/January shows warmer than normal. So, this is going to continue,” said Phillips. That’s good enough for the many people taking part in outdoor activities with no worry about the cold. “I go swimming in the lake still - in Lake Simcoe,” said Anne Springle of Barrie. “It’s cold but not that cold and it’s mind over matter and it’s just absolutely beautiful. Biking… what can you not do in this area?” The extended summer-like conditions has many businesses cashing in. Most golf courses still open and golfers thankful for that. “The course is great. The weather is great. Not too many people out. Just take my time. I just wish my golf was better,” said Bruce Willis of Innisfil. Despite the summer-like conditions, town and cities across the region are thinking winter preps. In Barrie, crews have been topping up its salt piles, finishing up summer street sweeping projects and calibrating its truck fleet. “It just gives us the opportunity to finish up any kind of loose ends, gives us extra time to kind of get prepared. You’ve got to remember at the end of this month we’ll probably be closing down all of the sports courts get them ready for winter as well, so there is still a lot to do,” said Dave Friary with the city of Barrie. Many our door summertime-like activities are still in play. Enjoy it while you can.
