Dreams of a white Christmas may come true in these Canadian cities
If you're holding onto hope for a white Christmas, chances are you will likely be disappointed...unless you reside in one of these Canadian locales.
The majority of the country is out of the running for a white Christmas. Sorry, we'll have to try again next year.
Widespread, above-normal warmth across Canada is expected for the holiday season. Millions of Canadians will experience a green Christmas, with very little, if not zero, chances for snow this year.
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Before we dive into the specifics, we'll start with what the typical odds are, according to historical data provided by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).
And, people should know the technical definition of a white Christmas, too.
A white Christmas, by definition, occurs when at least two centimetres of snow are on the ground at 7 a.m. local time.
However, five sneaky cities have a realistic shot at a white Christmas, no matter how low the odds are, and we take a look at them below.
Western Canada
We start in the West, where Winnipeg, Man., looks to have the greatest odds of a white Christmas.
Winnipeg (high)
Widespread, a few centimetres of snow have stuck around in Winnipeg.
Although warmer-than-normal air is expected, remember, our normal here is -10°C, so temperatures will be milder, but will remain below freezing through the weekend. As a result, that will likely keep whatever snow there is on the ground into Christmas morning. The only culprit will be incoming sunshine, which, in the coming days, we’ll see how much snowmelt may occur.
Edmonton and Calgary, Alta. (low)
Two centimetres are very unlikely, meaning we have a low chance of a white Christmas, by definition. However, you may have a different perception when waking up on Christmas morning to a light dusting of snow sticking around. Saturday features a weak chance for light snow, for those south of Edmonton, Alta.
If your city can get snow this weekend, it may stay with below-freezing temperatures forecast. The light dusting will likely fall short of the necessary 2 cm, but it is looking much whiter than millions of other Canadians.
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Eastern Canada
While most of the East doesn't stand a chance of seeing a white Christmas, we have to highlight two cities in Atlantic Canada that do.
Charlottetown, P.E.I., (low), and St. John’s, N.L. (medium)
Both cities on the periphery of a white Christmas, all coming down to snow totals through the weekend and potential sea-effect snow.
Late-week and weekend snowfall will determine the white Christmas chances for these cities. The more snow, the better the odds. If we can get 5+cm, we may hold onto it long enough for Christmas morning.
Because St. John's is slightly colder and has more snowfall chances, the Newfoundland city has higher odds than Charlottetown.
Charlottetown will also battle quite significant warmth on Christmas Day, potentially melting by the afternoon, so it has low white Christmas chances.
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The rest of the country
Everyone else across Canada looks to remain at low odds, especially in eastern sections, with very mild air expected on Christmas Day. In B.C., rainfall is anticipated in Vancouver and on the island later in the day.
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However, holiday skiing appears to be in good shape for Whistler, B.C., with weekend alpine snow, but come Monday, freezing levels will rise and push snowfall chances above 1500 metres.
WATCH: Did you know there's an actual definition of a 'White Christmas'?
With files from Rachel Modestino and Tyler Hamilton, meteorologists at The Weather Network, and Nathan Howes, a digital journalist at The Weather Network.
