The odds of a snowy Christmas in Victoria are technically possible, but you shouldn’t count on it — this holiday season is serving up a heaping dose of wet, windy, and unmistakably Victoria weather instead.
Expect to reach for your umbrella more than your winter toque, with rain forecast almost every day leading up to Christmas. Sure, we might catch a fleeting glimpse of sunshine (a small mercy on Friday), but it’s business as usual by the weekend: grey skies and a steady drizzle.
ECCC
We checked in with Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Derek Lee, who confirmed what most Victorians already know deep down: there’s not much winter magic in the cards this year.
According to Lee, anything resembling wintry weather won’t even maybe show up until the end of January — and even then, we’re talking a sprinkle of chill, not a snow globe spectacle.
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Victoria’s December history doesn’t offer much hope for a Christmas dusted in white, either.
“This year’s temperatures have been especially mild,” Lee explained, adding that while January may cool down slightly, we shouldn’t expect any dramatic shifts. Things are still trending warmer than the long-term averages from a decade ago.
Max Lindenthaler/Shutterstock
Snow-covered Christmas mornings just aren’t Victoria’s thing. And — let’s call it like it is — climate change isn’t helping the odds.
A recent Climate Central report shows Canada steadily shedding its colder winter days as global temperatures creep upward, and Victoria’s famously mild climate puts us on the front lines of that warming trend.
Still, there’s a certain charm to a Victoria winter: cozy indoors, a warm mug in hand, listening to the steady patter of rain on the window.
Plus, is there anywhere else in Canada where you can snow on Christmas Day? We think not.
So, are you content with a Christmas that’s soaked instead of snowy, or do you feel a little short-changed by Mother Nature?
With files from Amir Ali