It’s getting warm in here: Mild temperature trend set to ring in the new year
The upcoming New Year’s Eve weekend will be a stark difference temperature-wise to what many Canadians and Americans experienced during the holidays when temperatures plunged to record lows and significant snow left travellers stranded.
As we close out 2022 and welcome 2023 this weekend, temperatures will trend 5-15 degrees above seasonal, making for a very mild temperature trend for almost all of the country.
Mild temperatures throughout Eastern Canada
This is where the warmest temperature anomalies will be felt this weekend as much of the region will be locked into temperatures that are 5-15°C above seasonal for this time of year. In the closing days of 2022, parts of southern Ontario will have the chance to reach double digits. As the ridge in the jet stream shifts east, the start of 2023 in Atlantic Canada could be mild enough for some of the top warmest New Year’s Days on record.
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A current forecast high of 11°C at Halifax airport for New Year’s Day has the potential to be the warmest daily high on record for the station. The current record temperature is 9.4°C, recorded in 1973.
With a forecast high of near 7°C for Charlottetown, P.E.I., it could be one of the top 5-warmest New Year's Days on record for the station.
Rain is forecast to accompany these milder temperatures as an incoming low-pressure system will contribute to the rising temperatures but also spread widespread rainfall from the Great Lakes to Newfoundland. Southern Ontario and Quebec will see rain on New Year’s Eve, while Atlantic Canada will see rain on New Year’s Day.
Comfortable conditions for Western Canada
When it comes to the above-seasonal temperature trend, there will only be a few pockets in Western Canada where values remain near to slightly below seasonal. But comparing these upcoming temperatures to the cold leading up to the holidays, this will be much more even-tempered.
Rain will threaten parts of the South Coast in B.C., but conditions will be mainly dry for firework celebrations. New Year's Day will start off dry but the chance for showers increases later in the day.
