Southwestern Ontario could be in for a stormy, snowy winter.
Accuweather is making the prediction well ahead of the start of winter, but meteorologist Brett Anderson says he's pretty confident the forecast is accurate.
Wyandotte St. at Devonshire Rd. in Windsor, February 3, 2014.
"This year I have probably slightly more confidence than usual because we're fairly confident there is going to be La Nina," he says. "Confidence in terms of temperatures, and even storminess is, I think, a little bit higher than normal."
La Nina is a cooling trend in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South American. The phenomenon, much like its counterpart El Nino, affects weather patterns around the world.
"Confidence with this forecast is pretty good. Normally, a seasonal forecast, accuracy can vary obviously. You know, we can't get too specific, but in general, we're looking at 55% to 60% accuracy overall," says Anderson.
So, according to Accuweather's computer models, Canadians in this part of the country can expect some significant snow events.
Christmas snow (BlackburnNews.com file photo)
"We do think this winter is going to be a fairly storm winter across southern Ontario and actually, right into southern Quebec," explains Anderson. "Especially as we get into January and February."
On the upside, he also predicts a relatively warmer winter.
"Yes, it will get cold at times," Anderson says. "But overall, we think temperatures will be on average close to normal if not maybe even a little bit above normal."
Environment Canada and The Weather Network have yet to release their winter forecasts, and the first day of winter is Thursday, December 21.
