AccuWeather.com reports it’s going to be a cold winter across a chunk of western Canada. Several arctic air masses should come down through British Columbia and Alberta. This winter could be one of the top three coldest winters in the past 20 years for Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia.
La Niña is a phenomenon that occurs when sea surface temperatures across the equatorial central and eastern Pacific are below normal. The phenomenon often produces extreme cold outbreaks across western Canada during the winter due to the influence it has on the jet stream. “Strong La Niñas can lead to wet winters along the West coast, but I am predicting a moderate La Niña this winter,” AccuWeather Expert Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson Anderson said.
You’ll see some forecasts predicting a cold, snowy winter in British Columbia, but Anderson said “it’s either one or the other.” Cold air doesn’t hold moisture very well. If it’s going to be snowy, especially in western parts of British Columbia, “it’s usually not going to be terribly cold, especially in the mountains.”
In the near term, Accuweather tells us we can expect seasonable conditions for the rest of this week and next, with cooler conditions on the way for the week of October 31 to November 6.