For an updated version of this story, see our Weather Predictions for the 2015-2016 Snowmobiling Season.
The autumn chill has set in, and towns throughout British Columbia and Alberta have already reported seeing their first snowfalls of the season. The question on everyone’s mind (especially us snowmobilers) has got to be “Are we in for another nasty winter?”
We turned to the 2015 Canadian Edition of the Old Farmer’s Almanac—the publication that accurately predicted last year’s bitterly cold, snow-filled winter—for the answer, and this is what it said:
“We expect a cold, snowy winter nearly everywhere from central Quebec westward through Alberta, the exception being Southwest Ontario, which will be cold with below-normal snowfall. Meanwhile, temperatures will be above normal, with below-normal snowfall, from the Maritime provinces westward through central Quebec and in British Columbia.”
Below-normal snowfall? That’s what the Almanac has predicted for southern B.C., with the exception of the southeast part of the province (yay for us here in the Kootenays).
According to the Almanac’s long-range forecast, November in southern B.C. will see a mix of rain and sun, with rain turning to snow showers during the week of November 27. The snow may not last for long since above-average temperatures are predicted for the beginning of December. Temperatures will drop, though, in mid-December, and by late-December, any snow that falls should be here to stay.
January, as usual, should be a good month for sledding in southern B.C. because the Almanac predicts the snowiest periods will occur in early and mid-January. Mid- to late-February will see another extra snowy period. Plus, May and April are supposed to be cooler than normal, so we may have some good spring sledding.
In the prairies, it’s a different story altogether. According to the Almanac, winter temperatures in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba will be colder than normal and snowfall will be much greater than normal. Mid-December will see the snowiest conditions, as will mid- to late-February, mid- to late-March and early April—so lots of snow pretty much all season long.
Will it be exactly like it was last year? Dr. Doug Gillham doesn’t think so.
He is a meteorologist at The Weather Network. In response to the Network’s 2014-2015 Winter Preview, Gillham said the following in a video interview:
“At this point, it looks like we’ll have a pattern that resembles what we saw last winter, but we don’t think where it’s below seasonal (Gillham pointed to the prairies and eastward to the Atlantic provinces), we don’t think it will be as harsh as what we saw last winter.”
Go to the Network’s website to watch the entire interview with Gillham.
What it all means for snowmobilers, especially those living on the prairies, is that now is the time to sort through your riding gear and dig out your sled from its summer slumber.
The rest of us living in southern B.C. (with the exception of the southeast, remember) can do the same, but we’ll have to keep our fingers crossed that Mother Nature changes her wicked mind and decides to give us a good, powder-laden winter, too.
To see what was predicted last year, visit our Weather predictions for the 2013-2014 sledding season.
