A white Christmas in the forecast for Edmonton and Calgary, but not ‘perfect’

Will we have snow on Christmas?

For Canadians, it is the enduring question at this time of year — and this year, it appears most Albertans who are dreaming of a white Christmas will get their wish.

Both Calgary and Edmonton have snow in the forecast on Christmas Eve day.

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“Starting Wednesday, snowfall will be moving in from the south, hitting areas like Lethbridge and Medicine Hat in the early morning hours.  Calgary will also see snowfall Wednesday morning, bringing with it approximately two to five cm of snow. It should clear out by the afternoon,” said Global Edmonton weather specialist Kabi Moulitharan.

“That same system will move up to Edmonton in the early afternoon, and it is expected to last well into the evening. Edmonton will see a bigger dump of snow, upwards of 10-15 cm.”

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While the temperature is forecast to moderate on Tuesday with a high of -5 C in Calgary, the mercury is forecast to dip again in both Calgary and Edmonton on Wednesday.

“Calgary is expected to reach a high of -16 C whereas Edmonton could see -19 C,” said Moulitharan. “But that is no where close to the cold conditions northern Alberta has been seeing as wind chills remain between -30 to -40 C. Daytime highs in the north continue to range in the minus 20s, and that is expected to last through Christmas Day.”

The forecast also calls from some gusty winds that may affect people who are planning to drive to visit family or friends for Christmas.

Despite the forecast for a white Christmas, it won’t be a “perfect Christmas,” according to Terri Lang, meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Lang says Environment Canada defines a perfect Christmas as “there needs to be 2 cm of snow on the ground and it needs to snow on Christmas Day.”

With temperatures in the -20s on Christmas Day in both Edmonton and Calgary, Lang says it’s unlikely to snow, because “the closer the temperature is to freezing, the more moisture the atmosphere can hold” and that’s why you don’t normally see snow in very cold temperatures.