(Photo by the Village of Point Edward)(Photo by the Village of Point Edward)
Sarnia

Winter officially arrives, prospects for a white Christmas iffy

Winter has officially arrived.

The winter solstice arrived at 5:02 a.m. Monday which means December 21 will be the shortest day of the year with the fewest hours of daylight.

Environment Canada Meteorologist Gerald Cheng said Sarnia-Lambton can expect normal temperatures for the start of the season.

"Temperatures are going to be around seasonal and we might even go above zero for the daytime highs," said Cheng. "So, it's not going to be drastically different from what we would expect for a normal start to the winter."

Cheng said a system moving through southwestern Ontario at mid-week, creates some hope for a white Christmas this year.

"Right now the timing is that we will be on the cold side of that system, but the system will have exited by Christmas morning," he said. "So, we really need that system to slow down and we really need the colder temperatures if we want a white Christmas. Right now, it doesn't look favourable but things can still change between now and then."

Cheng said there's some indication we will see more than normal precipitation this winter.

"But in what form, the jury is still out, so it really will depend on the day to day temperatures."

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