London not on the list for white Christmas

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If you are hoping to wake up to a white Christmas in the Forest City this year, you may need to revise your Christmas wish list.

Many will be seeing green Christmas morning, with mild temperatures set to move in Christmas Eve and hold well above freezing Christmas Day.

The exception will be in northern and central Huron, Perth, Grey and Bruce counties. Most of Midwestern Ontario can expect a white Christmas.

Snow squalls that are ramping up Wednesday will add to the snow base, and will keep things white even as milder temperatures return.

Light snow is in the forecast for southern Ontario Thursday afternoon; you can expect snowfall amounts between 2-4 cm.

Milder temperatures will return Friday for Christmas Eve, with the chance for showers. The daytime high is set to warm above five degrees Christmas Day, under cloudy skies.

The latest forecast models for London, Ont., are indicating a greater probability of above-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation over the next week.

But expect a shift to cooler conditions and close to normal as we head into the New Year.

As we look back on previous years, there have been 14 green Christmas between 1986 and 2020.

In London, between 1955 and 2019 there was a 66 per cent chance of a white Christmas, while between 2011 and 2020 this number dropped to 50 per cent.

When we look at the change in frequency over the last 30 years, the probability of a white Christmas has declined 27 per cent.

The definition of a white Christmas, according to Environment Canada, is two centimetres or more of snow on the ground by 7 a.m. on Christmas morning.

The end of December storm track looks active, but the latest models are indicating that the next series of systems will bring rain to the area, followed by wet snow mixing in.