Prospect of a white Christmas uncertain, despite fresh snowfall

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This article was published 10/12/2023 (678 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Despite a blast of winter weather that brought snowfall to parts of southern Manitoba over the weekend, the prospect of a white Christmas remains uncertain, with warmer temperatures on the way.

“We’re still just looking at mild, sunny conditions throughout the week. We did get a pretty good snowfall with this last system that came through, but it’s really tough to say all the way to Christmas,” Environment Canada meteorologist Rose Carlsen said by phone Sunday.

“Usually, a white Christmas in Winnipeg is kind of a given, so the fact that it is still a question this close to Christmas, it is definitely unusual.”

According to data from the national weather service, flurries that rolled into the province Friday dropped up to 15 centimetres of snow in some areas.

Morris, Pilot Mound and McCreary were among the communities hardest hit, facing 15, 13 and 11 centimetres of snow, respectively. Winnipeg saw around six centimetres, while Brandon tracked only four.

“There was quite a bit of range for measured snowfall that fell for southwestern Manitoba,” Carlsen said, noting at least two centimetres must be present on Dec. 25 to meet Environment Canada’s definition of a white Christmas.

If snow falls on Christmas day, and there is more than 2 centimetres on the ground before 7 a.m., it will be upgraded to a perfect white Christmas, which is a seperate distinction, she added.

Conversely, if there is inadequate snow to meet the requirements, the day will be labeled a brown or green Christmas for the first time since 1997. It would mark only the fifth, snowless December holiday since statistic-keeping began in 1872.

Based on the extended forecast, which is currently looking ahead to Dec. 16, Carlsen expects to see temperatures dip early in the week before rising again around Thursday, when the high is estimated to be around 3 C.

The meteorologist urged Manitobans to continue to watch the forecast in the coming weeks.

“Especially on a slower start to the season, it is important to pay attention to the forecast. People can get lulled into a false sense of security with these warmer trends, but the system that came through recently shut down quite a bit of the Manitoba highways,” Carlsen said, referring to parts of the Trans-Canada highway that closed for periods throughout the weekend.

“Just make sure you’re paying attention and being accountable, that sort of thing,” she said.

Meanwhile, the weekend weather was a welcome sight for seasonal business owners, who have been on standby amid an unusually warm start to December.

“Right now the site itself looks like a cornfield with a little whisk of snow on it,” said Clint Masse, owner of A Maze in Corn.

The seasonal attraction, located south of Winnipeg in St. Adolphe, is home to the world’s largest snow maze, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Last year, the maze measured nearly 60,000 square feet and featured five buildings, each constructed of snow and containing elaborate carvings.

Masse is typically ready to accept patrons around mid-January, but remains uncertain whether opening day might be delayed.

On Sunday, he fired up his snow guns (similar to the kind ski hills use) for the first time — hoping to take advantage of the cooler weather.

“We are just kind of getting equipment serviced and waiting. It’s like being a fisherman, waiting for the storm to be over so they can go out and catch fish,” he said. “Two weeks from now, if it’s still really warm, then that’s going to be interesting for us.”

Graham Dreger, owner of Terrace Property Maintenance, said his snow clearing crews set to work servicing a few hundred customers in Winnipeg immediately after the snow fell; They finished up around 10 a.m. Saturday, he said.

It’s been a slow start to the season for the Winnipeg entrepreneur, who has been working in snow removal since 2016. In a typical year, business ramps up around mid-December and carries on until the end of February, he said.

“It’s not a matter of if it will snow, it’s just a matter of when. We can’t control when it does, but we are there to take care of everyone when it does and that’s basically the way it goes,” Dreger said.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca