Clear sailing for holiday travellers

Travellers in Canada will be getting a special present this Christmas: dry roads.

“It’s an atmospheric gift,” said Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips. “It’s going to a no-weather zone.”

The next few days in the GTA will be sunny, crisp and clear. On Christmas Day, Toronto is expected to see a high of -5 C and a low of -8 C. There is no snow or rain in the forecast.

This good weather will extend across the province, meaning travellers headed in every direction shouldn’t run into any poor driving conditions — even if they are headed to London, which has been blasted with snow in the last few weeks.

For people flying to family and friends on the East Coast, the turbulent weather that has plagued the Maritimes is ending in time for Christmas.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country in Vancouver, there will be rain but warm temperatures over the weekend. The only region that is expecting some light snow in the next few days is Manitoba, said Phillips.

“The weather is not one thing that should cloud our mind,” he said. “Instead you can think about re-gifting.”

The clear skies are marked change from the last five Christmases, where Toronto saw temperatures above zero and rain. Last year, there was 15.6 millimetres of rain on Dec. 25.

But Phillips noted that the chillier temperature for this year is not that out of the ordinary. The normal high for this time of the year is -1 C.   

The only thing missing for picture-perfect Christmases is a few falling snowflakes while people unwrap gifts, said Phillips.

--Madeleine White, Staff Reporter

Comments

[Ben Patterson]

Haul out the helicopter Santa !!!!