Enthusiasts lace up their skates to enjoy one of the few skating days this season.

It may be a coincidence or a by-product of climate change and global warming, but the world's longest skating rink, the 7.8 km Rideau Canal, has been open this year for only seven days to date.

The unseasonable conditions are expected to continue leading up to Winterlude, the city's three-weekend-long winter festival in February.

The canal is Winterlude's centrepiece. In 2004 over 616,000 visitors attended the event and three quarters of the approximately 800 people surveyed said they came to the festival primarily to skate on the canal.

A very soggy and unskateable canal just a few weeks before Winterlude.

This year the skating season began on Jan. 7, but the canal has been closed and re-opened sporadically since that date. NCC spokesperson Chantal Comeau says that although skating seems more infrequent this year, it's not unusual to sometimes see low numbers. The average skating season during the past five years has been 50 days long.

Problems with the weather

David Phillips, a senior climatologist with Environment Canada, says that by mid-January this year, Ottawa had already received 77 mm of precipitation, more than the average 70 mm that are the norm for the whole month.

Precipitation, even if it is cold enough to be snow, impedes the freezing of the canal because it provides a layer of insulation.

Temperatures across the country have been consistently warmer than normal this year, and Phillips says the swings have been more exaggerated.

"Flip-flops are expected, although not as extreme," he says.

It may be winter according to the calendar, but fluctuations in temperatures have people confused about the season.

"It used to be that winters were cold and summers were hot," says Phillips. "Predicting the weather has become a wild card that [climatologists and meteorologists] can't figure out," he says.

Contingency plans for Winterlude

Responding to weather trends, the NCC has scheduled fewer events on the canal than in past years, due to the unpredictability of the ice surface. The annual triathlon and popular bed races are on this year's agenda but if the canal is closed, Comeau says the events will move to the streets.

"We're used to having contingency plans," she says, "We are used to weather changes."

Snow and ice are essential for the giant sliding playground and the ice sculpture competitions in downtown Ottawa.

A recent history of the Rideau Canal Skateway It started just 37 years ago. Requires FlashPlayer

But Comeau explains that cold temperatures aren't essential for making these elements. She explains the NCC uses machines that allow for snowmaking at temperatures as warm as -3 C.

Organizers are also able to store the ice blocks used for the carving competition off-location in giant freezers. New competitions are held each weekend to ensure there are always frozen sculptures for the duration of the festival.

The thousands of people who take in events provide a big boost to the city's economy. The NCC estimates that every February visitors to Winterlude spend a total of $82.5 million on dining, entertainment and accommodations while they are in the capital.

Related Links Rideau Canal ice conditions This year's activities at Winterlude Seasonal forecasts from Environment Canada