Can Southern Ontario expect a white Christmas? Weather Network unveils winter weather forecast
Posted November 29, 2023 10:01 am.
Last Updated November 29, 2023 10:31 am.
With December just around the corner, the Weather Network (TWN) is out with its winter weather preview and says El Niño will be a major factor in how the season plays out this year.
Forecasters are predicting a mild start to winter, but say a wintry pattern could develop around the holidays, and then it’s expected to be cold to kick off the new year.
“El Niño has a reputation for bringing mild winters to much of Canada and it appears that this winter will feature one of the strongest El Niño events on record,” reads the TWN preview. “The core of winter will begin mildly, with most Canadians not experiencing consistently cold temperatures until later in the season.”
The network predicts most parts of the country will not experience consistent cold weather until later in December.
“During the weeks leading up to the holidays, we expect near-normal or above-normal temperatures across most of the country,” reads the forecast from TWN’s senior meteorologist.
The forecast notes that near-normal December temperatures are still cold enough for most areas to get messy winter storms, meaning a white Christmas remains a real possibility.
Less snow than normal is expected in southern Ontario leading up to Christmas, but meteorologists say that if a storm track around the holidays ends up a little further north than expected, it could mean “a rather active winter pattern.”
“As we head into the heart of the winter season, the question is whether we will return to a mild pattern for most of January, which is what we would typically see with a strong El Niño,” according to forecasters. “At this point, we think that the colder scenario is more likely.”
Despite a predicted mild start to the winter months, Toronto and the GTA are seeing a brief stretch of winter weather this week with some flurries expected Wednesday, along with bitter cold. Toronto saw its coldest day of the season so far on Tuesday.
Seasonal highs are expected to return on Thursday and Friday with rain and snow possible on the weekend. The extended forecast for Toronto can be found here.
