The coming winter months should be warmer than usual, but should also provide enough cold days to appease the winter lovers, according to a senior climatologist with Environment Canada.
David Phillips is predicting an 鈥渦p and down winter,鈥� meaning short stretches of cold mixed with short stretches of more mild weather.
鈥淚 think there will be something for everybody this winter,鈥� Phillips told CTV News Channel on Monday. 鈥淔or those who love winter - and there are a few out there - and those that are not liking winter.鈥�
Phillips says, with patches of milder weather mixed in with the harsher days, it can make getting through the season easier for those who aren鈥檛 exactly fans of the season.
鈥淚nstead of one long hoary night and winter from Halloween until Easter, it becomes more agreeable,鈥� he said.
Canadians had it easy last winter, when it turned out to be the seventh-warmest in the past 70 years. Phillips says this year鈥檚 should be colder than last, but still be warmer than normal when looking at the big picture.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not cancelling winter,鈥� he said. 鈥淣obody鈥檚 done that in the second coldest country in the world.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 not going to be Miami of the North.鈥�
Environment Canada is predicting a winter for much of the Ontario, Quebec and the East Coast. The Pacific coast of British Columbia is the only region where it predicts temperatures will be colder than normal.
Despite the warmer weather, there could be more snow than normal ahead.
Environment Canada is predicting precipitation levels for the southern Prairies and for much of Ontario. Only northern British Columbia and southern Yukon is expected to have lower than normal precipitation levels.
have similar predictions to Environment Canada. They are expecting 鈥渨ild temperature and precipitation swings鈥� in central Canada, drier conditions in British Columbia and snowy conditions in Quebec and the Maritimes.
In the next couple weeks, Phillips says people can expect to see the ground freeze. And that means, when it falls, some snow will hang around.
As a result, he anticipates a white Christmas for most of the country. He says it鈥檚 a near certainty that the Prairies will be white by the 25th, and 鈥渨ould bet鈥� on a white Christmas from Windsor, Ont. to Halifax.
Snow around Christmas can help people feel that 鈥淐hristmas spirit鈥� and can help the economy during this time, but Phillips says the cheeriness doesn鈥檛 typically last long.
鈥淚 think that people will be in a good frame of mind, but certainly, once Boxing Day rolls around, those people that don鈥檛 like winter will say 鈥榞et it out of here, we don鈥檛 want it anymore.鈥欌��
