More cold, normal precipitation for the Peace this winter, says TWN

Nov 24, 2017 | 4:30 AM

The Weather Network says the Peace can expect a winter that is colder than usual but will bring near-normal precipitation.

Meteorologist Erin Wenckstern says all of Western Canada should see fluctuating temperatures all winter.

“We do believe that the bulk of the cold will come in more so for January and February. We’ve had a pretty early start to winter so far in the month of November, though we’re expecting throughout December that pattern to kind of ease a little bit, where we get almost an early break from winter throughout the month of December, where we’ll see more of a fluctuation in temperatures.”

She adds precipitation patterns can be hard to predict.

“Because you can have varying amounts of precipitation from just city-to-city across Alberta, but we are seeing near-normal precipitation for northern and central parts of Alberta and then down towards the south is where we expect above-normal precipitation.”

Wenckstern says it is also hard to predict snowfall amounts because there is more of what she terms “an active pattern” for precipitation.

We also asked her about the possibility of an early spring.

She says that will depend on what happens with a cold air system developing in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

“Since it is a weak La Nina throughout the winter months, what we’ve seen in the past is that it’s an indication that we have more of an extended period of winter where the spring isn’t something that we see early on.”

Wenckstern says that prediction could still change.

by Curtis Galbraith