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Chatham

Prepare For A Full Blown Winter

Residents in Southwestern Ontario can expect to see a lot of snow over the next few months.

The Weather Network is predicting "active weather" this winter.

Meteorologist Michael Carter says they're expecting winter to come in full force throughout the Great Lakes region near the beginning of December.

"We're going to have a very active storm track into the Great Lakes and that's going to bring a lot of precipitation into Southwestern Ontario," says Carter. "Of course being winter, that means a lot of that is going to come in the form of snow."

Carter says last winter was a rather mild one in Southwestern Ontario. However, this year's developing La Nina phenomenon will be a big reason for the winter chill.

"We're monitoring down in the Equatorial Pacific, keeping an eye on those temperatures," says Cater. "When we see those temperatures trending cooler than normal off the coast of South America -- as we do this year, that's usually a sign of an active jet stream pattern across Canada; really setting the stage for a lot of storm systems to track up out of Colorado, into the Great Lakes region, tapping into some abundant moisture. That's really what's sending the signal for us to have an active winter this year and plenty of snow fall."

Carter says, although the winter weather is expected to start in early December, we can expect cold temperatures and regular snowfall through January and February. As time goes on, Carter expects to have a more accurate reading to when winter will start to release its grip on the region.

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