CanadaB次元官网网址檚 warmest winter on record is unlikely to make a repeat performance this year, The Weather NetworkB次元官网网址檚 chief meteorologist says, as a new seasonal forecast suggests the season will try to B次元官网网址渟alvage its reputation.B次元官网网址�

Chris Scott says the forecast suggests this winter will be generally colder and more impactful than last year, which saw the warmest winter on record B次元官网网址� but it still wonB次元官网网址檛 be a B次元官网网址渟tart to finish blockbusterB次元官网网址� for any of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 regions.

B次元官网网址淲inter will at least attempt to salvage its reputation across Canada,B次元官网网址� he said in an interview this week.

The cold comeback will largely be directed at Western Canada, as the forecast calls for a generally colder season and near- or above-normal snow totals across parts of the West.

But Scott warned those in Ontario and Quebec wonB次元官网网址檛 be spared, especially in December.

He suggested the cold that has been locked over Western Canada in recent days, delivering sub-zero temperatures and snow, will soon be unleashed farther east.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 coming east in a hurry, and it will pack a real punch,B次元官网网址� said Scott.

A seasonal forecast is a sketch, Scott said. The picture starts to get B次元官网网址渧ery fuzzy,B次元官网网址� he said, when forecasters try to predict what will happen more than three weeks out B次元官网网址� so itB次元官网网址檚 a little too early to make any white Christmas predictions.

But in Ontario and Quebec, Scott said there could be as much winter weather packed into the next three weeks as there was for a lot of last winter.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 going to be a mad scramble for winter tires, mad scramble for salt.B次元官网网址�

Winter is then broadly expected to back off come January and February in Quebec and Ontario, with the forecast suggesting those provinces will be warmer than normal on the whole, with above average precipitation.

After colder temperatures in the next couple of weeks, Manitoba and Saskatchewan are looking at a more typical winter both in terms of precipitation and temperature, the forecast suggests.

ItB次元官网网址檚 generally a good news scenario for drought-weary prairie farmers, Scott said, who rely on snowmelt to help boost soil moisture in the spring.

The iciest conditions are expected farther west, where a colder-than-normal winter in Alberta and British Columbia is expected to be paired with near- or above-normal precipitation across much of the region.

ItB次元官网网址檚 good sign for ski resorts across B.C. and into AlbertaB次元官网网址檚 foothills B次元官网网址� including in Banff and Lake Louise, Scott said.

Scott said he expects the base that has already settled on the mountains will hold until the B次元官网网址渟now jetsB次元官网网址� come back on in January and February. March break skiing in those areas looks B次元官网网址減retty goodB次元官网网址� too, he said, with the forecast suggesting a late spring could be in the works.

Atlantic Canada should not let its guard down, Scott said, but the forecast suggests one of the stormiest parts of the country may see less activity than it typically does. Storms appear to be tracking more through the Great Lakes region, leaving Atlantic Canada a bit drier and warmer than normal.

The territories are likely to mirror the trends seen further south, Scott said. Yukon and western parts of the Northwest Territories are expected to see below-normal temperatures, while Nunavut is forecasted to be warmer than normal.

ItB次元官网网址檚 important to keep in mind that climate change has shifted what is considered normal, Scott said. The forecasts of above- or below-normal temperatures and precipitation are based on average conditions over roughly the past 30 years.

B次元官网网址淚f we were comparing to a typical winter in the B次元官网网址�50s or the B次元官网网址�40s, or you go way back into the late 1800s, these winters, the cold we have now, it just doesnB次元官网网址檛 compare,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 almost B次元官网网址� I wouldnB次元官网网址檛 say impossible B次元官网网址� but itB次元官网网址檚 incredibly rare to set all-time record lows now.B次元官网网址�

Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, is warming Canada about twice as fast as the rest of the planet, and even faster in the Far North. Average winter temperatures since 1948 have warmed by 3.6 degrees, the latest federal data indicate.

Last yearB次元官网网址檚 record warm winter was also driven by El Ni帽o, a natural recurring climate pattern tied to shifting warm water in the Pacific Ocean and the position of the Pacific jet stream.

Now, El Ni帽o has faded, and forecasters have been expecting La Ni帽a, its counterpart, to make an appearance, Scott said. During La Ni帽a, trade winds are even stronger than usual and push more warm water toward Asia. Off the coast of the Americas, cold water rises from the depths to the surface.

During a La Ni帽a winter, the Prairies typically get colder while B.C., Ontario and Quebec get more precipitation.

Yet La Ni帽a has B次元官网网址渟talled,B次元官网网址� Scott said.

B次元官网网址淟a Ni帽a has been afraid to walk through the door, so weB次元官网网址檙e kind of stuck in neutral right now in the Pacific,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淎nd thatB次元官网网址檚 important because the Pacific Ocean B次元官网网址� I like to think of it as the engine that drives the global weather pattern.B次元官网网址�

How La Ni帽a evolves over the coming months will influence how winter looks in Canada, just one example of how tricky it can be to develop a seasonal forecast, Scott said.

If La Ni帽a B次元官网网址渢otally stalls,B次元官网网址� he said, then that would boost the warmer-than-normal conditions in central and eastern Canada. But if La Ni帽a emerges, winter may have B次元官网网址渁 little bit more fight.B次元官网网址�

Despite the uncertainty and complexity of making predictions in advance, the B次元官网网址渞elative forecast versus last winter is very clear,B次元官网网址� Scott said.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e got more winter weather this year, and itB次元官网网址檚 on the way.B次元官网网址�