Victoria bucked the trend in British Columbia, and everywhere else in Canada, by dodging the most recent blast of winter.
While much of the province was digging itself out Monday, residents there are already back to tending their precious gardens.
Winter isn't over yet -- but it seems like it in Victoria, with a balmy 8 degrees. It's like spring has arrived
"Victorian dodged a bullet. I think we dodged a snowball this time and a lot of it has to do with exactly where you are. Victoria really got off lucky here," said Anne McCarthy, a Victoria meteorologist.
She says Victoria's elevation, wind patterns and proximity to the ocean all helped the city avoid the recent storms and with more warm, wet weather on its way, flowers are blooming alongside the holly.
Walter Schnelter needed no encouragement to get out the lawnmower to groom the lawn.
"After the winter, the lawn is just covered with stuff, so the lawnmower vacuums it. It starts like a rocket, one pull," he said, revving the mower up.
Some are even hitting the golf courses.
It's almost like there is an invisible weather line. To the north, communities like Ladysmith and Nanaimo have been hammered by snow, power outages and school closures.
In the Malahat region, just 20 kilometres north of Victoria, it is a completely different story, with snow still a widespread problem.
Dave Demchuk spent the day shovelling the snow off his roof because of concerns of its weight. He believes there was about four feet on it.
"[It's a] crazy year. It is and its just begun winter is still a few more months," he said.
