Saying it's a forecast with a little something for everyone, Environment Canada Senior Climatologist David Phillips says we'll see seasonal weather this winter.
Environment Canada's released its winter forecast and the Coles Notes of it suggest winter won't be as long, or as cold as it was last year. "Wild swings in conditions, battle between the warm and the cold air, more unsettled weather," he says. "So, we don't think it'll be as monotonously cold and long as last winter."
The difference is El Nino. Even weakened, the warming phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean will give the Polar Vortex competition. Phillips says cold Arctic air won't likely make it as far south as it did last winter, and when it does, it won't stay as long.
As for whether southwestern Ontario can expect a white Christmas, Phillips insists that's a crap shoot. "It's not something I'd bet very much money on in southwestern Ontario," says Phillips. "The problem with the Christmas period is that if it came two months later, well you'd probably be much more assured of a white Christmas."