Summer and snow split Canada: Now comes the whiplash
Millions of Canadians experienced polarizing weather through the Thanksgiving long weekend. Will the dramatic, seasonal whiplash continue into the shortened work week?
Thanksgiving has delivered a striking weather split across Canada, with millions on the Prairies seeing their first snowflakes of the season.
Alberta and Saskatchewan both received their first snowfalls of the fall season through the long weekend. Temperatures tumbled over 10°C below seasonal across pockets of the Prairies.
Rush Lake, Sask., highway webcam. (Government of Saskatchewan)
Will the West snow last?
Prairie snow gets a short stay.
By late week, some regions that dealt with accumulating snowfall will be surpassing 20°C by Friday and Saturday, highlighting how stubborn the warmer weather has been in Western Canada.
This interruption fits the broader theme of our fall forecast, highlighting how even an extended fall can still bring sharp bursts of winter-like weather.
This rapid temperature rebound is courtesy of a strong, building ridge of high pressure in the atmosphere, vaporizing the recent snowfall.
The forecast ridge extends from the Pacific Northwest north across the Northwest Territories.
Southern Ontario burst of summer!
While parts of the Prairies shake off the wet snow, southern Ontario gears up to feel like the low 30s through Tuesday.
A sudden surge of summer-like warmth is blanketing southern Ontario to start the week, peaking on Tuesday.
Humidex values set to peak in the low 30s for millions of Canadians, while cold lurks across northern Ontario and Quebec.
Just ask Timmins, Ont., where conditions farther north are pretty stark:
Will Ontario's heat last?
No, and that’s fall.
A sharp Eastern Canada trough is forecast to develop into next weekend, with a potentially stronger storm developing off the amplified pattern.
This will be an abrupt transition, and even some flakes could mix into some northern regions of the Great Lakes with cooler air aloft by Friday night.
Most of Canada has really been treated to an extended, gentle slide into fall weather, but as advertised, winter-like interruptions remain likely. However, they just don’t stick around.
