Canadian weather is about to shift: Less snow, but even more cold on the way

Much of Canada is currently under snow storm and freezing rain warnings, but it does look like there is relief in sight, at least in terms of precipitation.

“I think the weekend looks dry across all of Eastern Canada at this point, even the Prairies,” Brett Anderson, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather told Yahoo News Canada.

According to Anderson, a significantly drier pattern will make its way into the country as we move into next week, but the freezing temperatures are going to stick around.

“Even though the coldest air is out west, it’s still going to be seasonably cold, if not a little bit colder than we typically expect at this time of year across Ontario, into Quebec and even the Maritimes,” Anderson said.

Ontario & Quebec

While Ontario and southern Quebec muscle through the mixture of snow, sleet, freezing rain and strong winds on Tuesday, snow showers are expected to continue into Wednesday afternoon, with heavier snowfall off of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, and around the Barrie and Goderich, Ont. areas.

“Nothing out of the ordinary, but [there is] still going to be some heavier snow bands there and quite windy as well,” Anderson said.

Toronto is expected to only see a few flurries on Wednesday but the persistent strong winds will keep blow snow across the city, which will create a more dangerous commute on Wednesday morning.

Just when you think it’s over, another system will be coming into southern Ontario late Thursday, but it won’t be as significant as Tuesday’s storm.

“At this point, this looks like mixed precipitation, probably changing to rain at some point but…not a big storm,” Anderson said. “Looking to start with some snow and then eventually goes over to some sleet, and then perhaps some rain before it ends early Friday.”

According to Anderson, over eight centimetres of snow could hit the Ottawa and Montreal regions late Thursday and into Friday morning, but dry conditions will move in for the weekend.

Maritimes

The storm that has barreled Ontario and Quebec with inches of snow will be heading towards Atlantic Canada on Wednesday.

“Still going to be very snowy across Quebec into New Brunswick,” Anderson said. “There could be over 30 cm of snow at least in the northern half of New Brunswick by the end of the day tomorrow.”

Southern New Brunswick into Nova Scotia will see a mixture of rain, freezing rain and snow, with strong winds making their way through the area as well. But this moisture is expected to move away later in the day, with a dry weekend ahead.

Prairies

If moisture is less of a concern for you but cold weather makes you nervous, the Prairies is not where you want to be. According to Anderson, the cold air will be centered around this area for at least the next 10 days.

“As we get into the weekend, looks like the cold eases a little bit but again, if you’re looking for the coldest air across Canada, that’s where it’s going to be,” Anderson said. “Looks like another surge of cold air is centered right over the Prairies for a good part of next week.”

Temperatures, especially from Saskatchewan to Alberta, have been averaging over 10 C below normal, which will continue, but the area will remain mostly dry, with the exception of the Rockies.

British Columbia

Higher elevation areas in B.C., including the Rockies, are expected to see some snow, but no major storms. There will still be some lingering snow in Vancouver but it will break as the moisture pushes south towards Oregon and California, according to Anderson.

But there is another storm on the horizon for the province, expected to hit southern B.C. on Thursday night and into Friday. At the moment, AccuWeather isn’t expecting this to be a significant storm, but there will be some light accumulations.

“I think it’s probably going to be…a mixture of rain and snow [in Vancouver] for Thursday on to Friday, it will vary depending on how high you are in elevation, but we’re not calling for any accumulation at this point in Vancouver,” Anderson said.