THUNDER BAY – The weather this weekend will be fluctuating, so residents in the area should be prepared for sudden changes.
According to Steven Flisfeder, warning preparedness Meteorologist at Environment Canada, residents should brace themselves for a significant change in temperature this weekend. While Saturday was relatively mild, with comfortable weather conditions prevailing, Sunday is likely to bring in a significant drop in temperature, resulting in chilly weather.
Flisfeder said residents should prepare themselves accordingly and take necessary precautions to stay warm and safe in the face of the sudden change in weather.
“I would say be prepared for those temperature changes. Make sure that you're dressed appropriately. If you have to be outside,,” he said.
“Especially Saturday nights because most of the day, Saturday will be pretty mild, not really feeling any discomfort, but you'll be hit pretty harshly by a cold front overnight, so dress appropriately and keep an eye on the forecast if you plan on being outside.”
Up until this weekend residents may have noticed some warmer than average temperatures but Flisfeder said that while that may have been unexpected, it’s not unusual for the area.
“Generally speaking, temperatures have been about 5 to 10 degrees above seasonal for this time of year, depending on which day we're speaking about. But for this period of December, we should be seeing daytime highs of about -5 degrees Celsius for the area,” he said.
“So certainly today, with a high forecast of five degrees that's about 10 degrees above normal, so definitely outside the normal range. With that being said, it's not that unusual to have these types of temperatures in December for the area.”
While we're not seeing record highs this year, Flisfeder said that temperatures are higher across western Canada due to Warm air being brought up from the south.
“We are in the midst of an El Niño. So what that typically means is warmer weather for Western Canada extending into northwestern Ontario, depending on the strength of El Niño,” he said.
“But for this year in particular, we see temperatures that are going to be above seasonal throughout December, including or for most much of the winter as well. So it is in line with what we'd expect given the presence of the El Niño winter.”
Residents are advised to check weather forecasts before doing outdoor activities, especially as the temperature drops Saturday evening/Sunday morning.
