Halifax expecting above normal temperatures this winter : Weather Network

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put your snow tires on

CITYnews halifax \ Meghan Groff

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Haligonians have enjoyed some beautiful weather this fall, with it being warm enough to wear shorts and sandals for multiple days in November.

And according to the Weather Network’s winter forecast, we can expect above average temperatures to stick around for the next three months.

But meteorologist with the network, Doug Gillham, said that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put your snow tires on.

“It doesn’t mean we’re just going to coast through the season without any winter weather,” Gillham told CityNews Halifax.

“I think we know better than to hope for that, but in the changeable temperatures, we will tip to the warm side of normal.”

La Niña has returned for a third year in a row. Gillham said it’s only the fourth time in recorded history that has happened, and it generally means we can expect stormy conditions in Atlantic Canada.

“We expect an active storm track as we’ve seen through the fall,” he said.

“We expect above normal precipitation, but that probably won’t translate into above normal snowfall,” he explained. “Many of those systems will bring mixed precipitation changing over to ice possibly, and more likely changing over to rain at times.”

It’s still too early to say if we’ll have a white Christmas. That requires having at least two centimetres of snow on the ground, which hasn’t happened in years, but Gillham said we do have a chance.

“It’s going to come down to the weather in the final few days leading up to Christmas,” he said.

“I do think we will see some snow before Christmas, I think December will have some winter weather,” Gillham added. “But it’s going to be a temperature roller coaster with ups and downs, so it’s going to be hard to hold onto the snow for extended periods this winter.”