More Traditional Winter on Tap for Canada

The Weather Network is forecasting a marked change in this year’s winter compared to a year ago, with the Prairies in line for some of the harshest conditions. 

Last winter featured the warmest winter on record for Canada, with warmer-than-normal temperatures from coast to coast. But with last year’s El Nino event now a distant memory, a more traditional – and much colder – winter season is on tap, the Weather Network said in a seasonal forecast released Wednesday (see maps below). 

The focus of winter's fury will be in Western Canada, where near-normal and colder-than-normal temperatures are expected to dominate this upcoming season, the forecast said. A more active pattern is also expected this winter, with near-normal or above-normal precipitation across most of Canada. 

Meanwhile, eastern Canada will also have periods of cold weather, particularly in December. However, periods of milder weather are expected in January and February, resulting in above-normal temperatures for the season overall, although not as warm as last winter. 

For Alberta, near-normal or colder-than-normal temperatures are expected to dominate most of the season with a heightened risk for periods of severe cold.  Near-normal snowfall is expected across most of the province, but above-normal snow totals are expected across parts of southern Alberta.   

Near-normal temperatures are also forecast for the season across Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with the typical risk of periods of severe cold. Generally average snowfall is expected across most of the region, but above-normal snow totals are likely across southeastern Manitoba. 

In Ontario, December will feature an abrupt transition to colder weather after a very mild fall. However, more of a “come-and-go" winter pattern is expected during January and February with periods of mild weather outduelling the periods of colder weather. 

A snowy winter is expected across northern Ontario, including Timmins and Thunder Bay, due to an active storm track into the Great Lakes region, but southern areas, including London, Toronto, and Ottawa, will often see messy storms with a changeover to ice and rain and the potential for extended thaws. As a result, below-normal snow totals are projected across southern Ontario.