Except for the effects of climate change and the extreme conditions, this mid-February isn't any different from others. That's why Groundhog day is in February as we anticipate the beginning of Spring which is always six weeks away regardless of what the groundhog does. That's why Sports Illustrated has the Swimsuit issue in February - because the Superbowl is over, other sports playoffs haven't started yet nor has baseball spring training started.

I don't know about other cities but in Toronto, we get a run up of trade shows from the boat show, auto show, the outdoor adventure show, and the bicycle show is coming up this weekend.

And then there are a flurry of vacation ads for people who can't last a half a season.

It's not this winter, it's every February and the marketers have you in their radar.