Unseasonably warm temperatures have gripped the Greater Sudbury area, resulting in a forecast which includes a rarely seen green Christmas.
Drawing from 59 years of weather data, Environment Canada meteorologist Peter Kimbell told Sudbury.com that 94 per cent of Christmases have been white in Greater Sudbury.
With no additional snow forecast between Tuesday and Christmas, Greater Sudburians are in the store for a green Christmas.
“At best, a patchy white Christmas,” Kimbell added in conversation with Sudbury.com on Monday.
“After today, just basically clear skies, or a mix of sun and cloud most days, temperatures warmer than average.”
Seasonal averages for this time of year include daily highs of -6 C and lows of -15 C, and this week’s temperatures are averaging around 0 C.
El Niño may be factoring into this season’s heatwave, he said, adding that it is “possibly contributing to the mild weather we’re seeing across the country, but the linkages are difficult to establish conclusively.”
“El Niño conditions are due to natural variability in the climate system and will likely contribute to the higher-than-normal temperatures in Canada this winter, intensifying the warming effects from human-induced climate change in what is shaping up to be the hottest year recorded in human history,” according to a media release earlier this month by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Approximately nine centimetres of snow fell in October, an additional nine fell in November, and December found another 12 centimetres fall.
Not only has much of this snow melted, but it’s also far below seasonal averages, with an average of 63 centimetres historically falling in December alone.
This December’s unseasonably warm, snow-less state, is in stark contrast to December 2022, when travel advisories and heavy snowfall blanketed the region. The city recorded 75.6 centimetres of snow falling in December 2022 during three snowfall events.
As for when Greater Sudburians might again experience the type of winter weather conditions they’ve come to expect?
“Perhaps,” sometime in 2024, Kimbell said. “At this time we don’t see a clear sign of it.”
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
