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.
“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.”
On Monday, Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for Edmonton and areas west of the city, stretching from Fox Creek and Swan Hills and south to Rimbey.
The statement says, “a significant snowfall or 10 to 20 cm is forecast for central Alberta beginning Wednesday morning,” spreading east to the Saskatchewan border by afternoon and tapering off by Christmas morning. That means anyone planning a drive to visit family or friends for Christmas should be prepared for winter driving conditions.
“If you’re planning to drive, (Wednesday) morning might be better in order to dodge the snowfall,” said Moulitharan.
While the temperature is forecast to warm to -5 C in Calgary on Tuesday, it will dip again on Wednesday.
“Calgary is expected to reach a high of -16 C whereas Edmonton could see -19 C,” said Moulitharan. “But that is nowhere close to the cold conditions northern Alberta has been seeing.”
With wind chills forecast to be between -40 and -45 C, Environment Canada has issued a series of cold warnings for northern Alberta. At those temperatures, meteorologists warn that frostbite can develop within minutes. Both people and pets should remain inside, and anyone who needs to be outside needs to dress appropriately and take regular breaks to warm up.
Despite the forecast for a white Christmas, so far it doesn’t appear we’ll have 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.”
The forecast for Thursday in both Calgary and Edmonton on Christmas Day is sun with temperatures near -20 C.