# data[].attributes.headline
Speeding tickets                 Word Problem #3

# data[].attributes.subject
Speeding tickets                 Word Problem #3

# data[].attributes.body
In 2017, the police gave out 3,785 tickets and in the first 6 months of 2018, they gave out 39,968. How many tickets would have been given in the first 6 months of 2018 and 2017 combined?

Solution
Add 39,968 to 3,785
39,968 + 3,785 = 43,753
In total, the police have given 43,753 tickets in all of 2017 and the first 6 months of 2018

# data[].attributes.headline
Speeding tickets                  Word Problem #2

# data[].attributes.subject
Speeding tickets                  Word Problem #2

# data[].attributes.body
In the first 6 months of 2018, the police gave out 39,968 tickets. If this happened for 6 more months, how many more tickets would've been given (from this number)

Solution
Add 39,968 to itself
39,968 + 39,968 = 79,936
In the full year, there would've been approximately 79,936 tickets given in total

# data[].attributes.headline
Speeding tickets                Word Problem #1

# data[].attributes.subject
Speeding tickets                Word Problem #1

# data[].attributes.body
In 2017, the police gave out 3,785 tickets. In the first 6 months of 2018, they gave 39,968 tickets. How many more tickets did they give in 2018 compared to 2017?

Solution
Subtract 3,785 from 39,968
39,968 - 3,785 = 36,183
There were 36,183 more tickets in the first 6 months of 2018 than 2017.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If the number of speeding tickets handed out so far this year is any indication, Calgarians are seriously beginning to lose their patience with construction season.

Police said in 2017, they issued 3,785 speeding tickets in marked construction zones.

In the first six months of this year, that number rose tenfold to 39,968 tickets.

"It's an unfortunate number, but people are tearing through construction zones," said Staff Sgt. Steve Ellefson with the Calgary police's traffic section.

"That's ultimately what's going on. We haven't changed any resources," Ellefson said, pointing out that the only variables that changed this year from previous years are the scope of construction projects and a longer 2018 construction season.

A scary statistic

"That's a little bit of a scary stat," said Sean Somers, a spokesperson with the City of Calgary's transportation department.

While Somers was surprised to see the spike, he said it's likely reflective of the sheer volume of projects happening across the city.

There are more than 80 paving projects happening on major roads - not to mention the BRT work taking place on 17th Avenue S.E. and 14th Street S.W., the multi-phase makeover project on 17th Avenue S.W., and the upgrading of Crowchild Trail, to name a few.

"People are feeling the pinch of that. We're certainly empathetic to that frustration, we get it," said Somers.

However, that doesn't excuse the speeding, especially in areas where workers are present.

Somers said the city currently has a signage campaign to drive home the message that speeding through a construction zone isn't just zipping past heavy machinery - it's putting workers' lives at risk.

"At the end of the day people need to slow down, take their time, and ensure they're travelling safely through those construction zones," he said.
With files from Rachel Ward.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
4,000 speeders were ticketed in Calgary construction zones last year. This year it's 10 times more | CBC News

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If the number of speeding tickets handed out so far this year is any indication, Calgarians are seriously beginning to lose their patience with construction season. Police said in 2017, they issued 3,785 speeding tickets in marked construction zones. In the first six months of this year, that number rose tenfold to 39,968 tickets.

# data[].attributes.headline
Drought                          Word Problem

# data[].attributes.subject
Drought                          Word Problem

# data[].attributes.body
Mount Hermon had 150cm of snow at the summit. They had 120 centimeters on the lower slopes. How much more snow did they have on the summit than the lower slopes?

Solution:
Subtract 150cm from 120cm
150cm-120cm=30cm
There was 30cm more snow.

# data[].attributes.headline
Cold In Calgary                 Word Problem #1

# data[].attributes.subject
Cold In Calgary                 Word Problem #1

# data[].attributes.body
The normal amount of snow in February is 14.5 cm. In February this year there was 34.5cm of snow. How much more snow was there this year than the normal amount of snow?

Solution:
34.5-14.5= 20cm
There was 20cm more snow.

# data[].attributes.headline
Cold in Calgary                        Word Problem #2

# data[].attributes.subject
Cold in Calgary                        Word Problem #2

# data[].attributes.body
The normal temperature in February this year was -18.7 C. The normal temperature in Calgary is usually -5.4 C. What is the total when you add both temperatures together.

Solution:
-18.7C + -5.4C= -24.1C
The total is -24.1C.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This past February was one for the record books. Calgary did not have a single "normal" temperature in February, meaning every high, low and mean temperature were below seasonal.

Starting Feb. 1, temperatures dropped below freezing and stayed there for all but one hour on Feb. 22.

An incredibly rare occurance, there has only been one month on record where the temperature stayed below freezing for the entire month - in Jan. 1950 the warmest it got was -6.7 C.

There are only two months out of 1,784 months of record where the daytime high stayed below freezing for all but one day - in January 1916, and February 2019.

READ MORE: Calgary is experiencing its longest stretch of cold weather in 21 years

By month's end this year, the mean (or average) temperature for February was -18.7 C, making this the third-coldest February on record, according to Environment Canada climatologists.

The average monthly mean for February in Calgary is -5.4 C.

READ MORE: Calgary's cold snap a boost or a bust for businesses: 'Worst February in 20 years'

Calgary spent most of the month on track for this being the second-coldest February on record, but thanks to a bump in temperatures at the end of the month, the overall mean warmed up just enough to make this the third-coldest.

The coldest February was in 1936 when the mean temperature was -24.5 C. Records go back to 1885.

This cold hits especially hard for Calgarians, considering the warmer-than-average previous three months.

READ MORE: Calgarians cope with freezing cold February

Calgary saw 20 days in January with daytime highs above 0 C. The city even set a new record high temperature Jan. 26, 2019 when it hit 13.7 C. The average daytime highs for Calgary in February range from -4 C to 1 C.

Calgary was so far from normal this February that it actually had 16 days with daytime highs that were colder than the average overnight low temperatures.

On top of that, Calgary saw more than double the average amount of snow it typically gets for the second month of the year.

READ MORE: Calgary cold snap has dogs trying indoor puzzles: 'Better than chewing the leather furniture'

Climate normals for monthly snow in February in Calgary are 14.5 centimetres. In February 2019 the city saw 34.5 centimetres of snow.

But that isn't the most unusual snow stat.

It snowed 25 out of 28 days this February.

READ MORE: Calgary roads: Snow route parking ban to be lifted, nearly 2,000 tickets issued

There has only been one year where there were more "days with snow" for February in Calgary; in 1965 it snowed 27 of 28 days. Since then there have only been two years where Calgary had snow on at least 20 days in the month.

READ MORE: Dos and don'ts of driving in snowy conditions

According to the Environment Canada Canadian Climate Normals, Calgary will usually see around eight days with snow in the second month of the year.

Unfortunately this weather pattern is expected to continue. The daytime highs forecast for the start of March are 5- to 20-degrees below average.
Want your weather on the go? Download Global News' Skytracker weather app for IOS and Android.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Calgary's cold February the worst in 828 months: Environment Canada

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This past February was one for the record books. Calgary did not have a single "normal" temperature in February, meaning every high, low and mean temperature were below seasonal. Starting Feb. 1, temperatures dropped below freezing and stayed there for all but one hour on Feb. 22.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Heavy rainfall across Israel over the past few weeks means Israel has broken a five-year drought that plagued the north, but the country's water woes are far from over, according to the Water Authority.

Over the past 48 hours, the level of the Sea of Galilee rose by 19.5 centimeters. The generous rainfall in Israel's north has swollen streams that feed into the lake, with some of them flowing at rates not seen since 2013, drone footage released by Amir Aloni of the Nature and Parks Authority showed.

"Today's rains don't erase the last five years," said Water Authority spokesman Uri Schor. "We expect this year to be average rainfall, or higher than average. It doesn't make the drought issue worse, but it also doesn't fix it."

Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

The Sea of Galilee is now 1.24 meters (4 feet) below the lower red line, and just 0.6 meters (2 feet) above the black line, according to the Water Authority. The lake is still 5.4 meters (17.7 feet) below its fullest level.

The black line is a dangerously low level that can create irreversible ecological problems, including an increase in the water's salinity and algae blooms that can do permanent damage to the water quality, and flora and fauna. Last year, the Water Authority had to pump 17,000 tons of salt out of the Sea of Galilee to ensure that the low water levels did not cause the water to get too salty.

Schor said the Water Authority hopes that the Sea of Galilee will fill to above the lower red line by the end of the winter. During the summer, the Sea of Galilee evaporates at the rate of a centimeter per day.

Past winters have been less generous with the rain. This summer, after five years of dry winters, water tables in Israel's north plunged to the lowest level in at least 98 years, since scientists first began taking taking measurements in 1920.

Last year, northern Israel experienced one of the worst droughts in 100 years, leaving the country's water tables with a deficit of 2.5 billion cubic liters of water, compared to non-drought years.

That deficit is the equivalent of one million Olympic-size swimming pools, water that would normally flow through Israel's streams and underground water tables toward the Sea of Galilee and other water sources.

Northern Israel has currently exceeded normal rainfall for this period, with most places in the north recording upwards of 150 percent of the average rainfall. North of the Sea of Galilee, areas have received upwards of 463 millimeters, out of an annual average of 671 millimeters, even before the rainiest month of January and February reach their full potential.

The Nature and Parks Authority reported that heavy rains along the coast flooded parts of the Caesarea National Park, turning it into "a little Venice."

Mount Hermon reported snow this week, with snow levels reaching 150 centimeters (5 feet) at the summit and 120 centimeters (3.9 feet) on the lower slopes. The resort's ski runs are expected to open this weekend after the current snowstorms abate.

The Water Authority warned that while the rain is welcome, scientists are still worried about the future.

"We know, because of climate change, that this area will get less and less rain, because that's been the trend for the past 30 years," said Schor. "Some years you get a bit more rain, some years you get a bit less, but the overall trend is there will be less and less water."

Over the summer, the cabinet approved a NIS 105 million ($30 million) emergency drought recovery program, which includes funding for two desalination plants and a plan to pump desalinated water directly into the Sea of Galilee. Schor said those programs are still going to be essential to ensuring that the country has enough water in the future. Additionally, he called on Israelis to be mindful of their water consumption and to reduce water waste, even when it is pouring outside.

"On one hand, we need to stop wasting water, and on the other hand, we need to create new solutions," he said.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Winter rains raise Sea of Galilee level by 19 centimeters in 2 days

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Heavy rainfall across Israel over the past few weeks means Israel has broken a five-year drought that plagued the north, but the country's water woes are far from over, according to the Water Authority. Over the past 48 hours, the level of the Sea of Galilee rose by 19.5 centimeters.