A snowless Christmas in most parts of Canada

The technical definition of a white Christmas is two centimeters of snow left on the ground, Phillips said. This is the Canadian standard. Millions of Canadians didn't have the traditional snowy landscape on Christmas Eve.

In Montreal, the snow slopes at the foot of the city's small mountain, Mount Royal, were closed, as were the skating rinks, due to heavy rain and mild temperatures.

Calgary's few patches of snow also don't have a promising future, with forecasts calling for temperatures well above freezing and warm Chinook winds.

In Ottawa, where heavy snowfalls are common, the grass is covered in a thin layer of frost that does not allow for sledding or snowballs, but at least it shines nicely in the sun.

On the other side of the country, on the Pacific Coast, after having two white Christmases in a row, it won't snow in Vancouver either.

Cypress Mountain Ski Resort, north of Vancouver, said on social media bad weatherHigh temperatures are expected to reach 9 degrees Celsius, with sunny weather throughout the weekend, before rain falls on Christmas Day.

The same panorama everywhere

From Prince Rupert in British Columbia to Corner Brook in the Maritime Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and from Inuvik in the Northwest Territories to Iqaluit in Nunavut, snow accumulations in late November were 10 to 15 centimeters below normal.

Some places, like southeastern British Columbia, have 50 centimeters less snow than average. This means that southern Canada has almost no noticeable snow cover.

Environment Canada's snow map uses brown dots to indicate snow-free resorts. Brown dominates from coast to coast. Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax… all places without snow.

Ski lovers sad

Information on ski conditions indicates that the 41 resorts across the country have opened an average of only a third of their slopes.

If you want snow, Canadians have three options: coastal Newfoundland, Quebec's Saguenay region, and a small region in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Alberta. These places range between 15 and 20 cm more than average. It's not huge, but it's big enough to make a snowman or skate down the hill.

The snow had no chance to accumulate. It is very hot and the climate is very dry. We've set all kinds of records for warm temperatures in Canada, and that's been the case all summer and certainly through October and November.

Given these conditions, Phillips is already concerned about the effects of dry weather on crops and forests next year. Moisture deficiency is a major concern on the prairieclaimed.

The forest fires started last year due to winter conditions. This does not look good at a time when we should be replenishing soil moisture.It is to explain.

Almost the entire country is classified as abnormally dry, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada's Drought Monitoring System. Some sites in southern Alberta are already at exceptional levels, i.e. at the top of the rating system.

Parts of British Columbia remain extremely dry, with the Peace River and Fort Nelson areas reaching Level 5, the highest level of drought. Which will inevitably have negative effects in some casesaccording to local authorities.

El Niño, a periodic weather system that includes warm weather on a major holiday in North America, is partly to blame for the current abnormal weather conditions.

Phillips said the system started early and strong this year. In addition, the Arctic air descending toward southern latitudes was not as cold as usual.

All of this is happening at a time when global warming has made the summer of 2023 the hottest summer in the planet's history.

El Niño is different nowPhillips said. This is happening in the context of a warming world.

Source: RC/PC

Adaptation: RCI/R. Valencia