Will Ottawa have a white Christmas? Don't count on it.
A dusting of snow is visible on Parliament Hill, Dec. 24, 2023. Forecasters say Ottawa will not meet the official threshold of 2 cm of snow on the ground by 7 a.m. Christmas Day to qualify for a "white Christmas" this year. (Andrew Adlington/CTV News Ottawa)
There's a bit of snow in the forecast on Christmas Eve, but don't let it fool you—it's not looking like Ottawa will have its white Christmas this year.
According to Environment Canada data, there was 1 cm of snow on the ground at the Ottawa Airport at 7 a.m. Sunday. The city saw 0.4 cm of snow on Saturday.
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The threshold for a white Christmas, officially, is 2 cm of snow on the ground at 7 a.m. Christmas Day.
Meteorologists say about one in every five Christmasses in Ottawa are green, and most of Ontario is looking at a green Christmas this year.
A winter storm early this month dumped more than 12 cm of snow on Ottawa, but that amount has been slowly melting away due to above average temperatures and rain.
The forecast for Christmas Eve calls for periods of light snow in the morning, followed by a cloudy afternoon with a risk of freezing drizzle and a high of 0 C. The snowfall in the forecast is not expected to add up to more than 1 cm, and what's left on the ground could also evaporate as the temperature rises.
There is a risk of freezing drizzle in the evening and overnight as the temperature hovers around 0 C.
Christmas Day is looking cloudy with a chance of freezing drizzle in the morning, fog patches, and a high of 2 C in the afternoon. No snow is currently in the forecast for Christmas Day.
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