Above seasonal temperatures are expected to begin the winter season.
Winter officially arrives at 10:03 a.m. Sunday, December 21, which is also the shortest day of the year.
Environment Canada Warning Preparedness Meteorologist Eric Tomlinson said there's a warm airmass that could set up Monday and Tuesday with daytime highs well above normal.
"And with that, precipitation is possible as well," said Tomlinson. "A lot of temperature swings over the next coming days, so it's clear that we're still in transition season here and winter is still setting itself up."
Tomlinson said with the warmer system moving into the region, it means we could see more rain than snow in time for Christmas.
"It's still unclear what the actual precipitation type will be just because of the timing of the system," he said. "It looks to arrive Monday night into Tuesday, and with that there's warmer air that will push further north into the southwestern parts of the province. So, we could be looking at mixed precipitation. The chances of snow, at the moment, look unfortunately unlikely for those who are hoping for a white Christmas."
The warmer trend is expected to continue into early January.
"We really have had a temperature swing," said Tomlinson. "The first half of the month, was well below seasonal where we had highs that were below zero for multiple consecutive days."
Tomlinson said La Nina is creating some challenges for seasonal forecasters to get a clearer picture of what lies ahead for the winter season overall, particularly when it comes to snowfall.
"Precipitation trends tend to depend on variations between El Nino and La Nina," he said. "And it being more neutral, slightly La Nina, it's difficult exactly where the trends are going to be for the moment."
