Weather is the same as real estate; it’s all about location and Doug emphasized this, “Some places are going to see really impressive amounts and that includes ski country. Ski hills should be in great shape as we head into the holiday season. So, if you’re after downhill, cross country or even snowmobiling, there should be an abundance of snow on the ground in the traditional snowbelt areas.”
Having been through snow squalls many times as a storm chaser, I’m very aware of their variability. I’ve been in some that are so bad that you can just barely see the end of the hood of the car to ones that leave just a dusting on the grass.
Doug stresses that the difference between a devastating event and one that can be moved by a broom and a slight effort comes down to wind direction and persistence, “The key to a nuisance streamer and one that paralyzes a region for days is whether the winds come persistently from the same direction. It’s not so much the snowfall rate; that’s pretty consistent. It’s all about whether the bands lock into place for 24, 48 or 72 hours or they pivot through a region. More often they pivot, but sometimes they lock into place and that’s when we see the high impact events.”
Ontario’s snowbelt regions are more than likely to see a ‘white Christmas’ given the current snow on the ground and temperatures remaining on the cool side. (Photo taken in Orillia, Ont. Courtesy of Nathan Howes/The Weather Network)
As with all things though, the squall season will come to an end, driven by the very cold that creates the snow.
“An extended period of cold weather means that eventually the lakes will ice over,” says Doug. “That’s deeper into the winter; really the colder air in December has a bigger effect on the second half of winter – January and February. We’re not going to freeze up the lakes over December because it takes a long time to remove enough heat from the water to start getting ice buildup. Lake Erie is usually the first to freeze, but the other lakes, including Georgian Bay will be open right through to January.”