Currently in Toronto — December 20th, 2022
The weather, currently.
Tuesday should be a pretty decent day, as it's the last full day of fall. Expect partly cloudy skies tomorrow morning with a wake-up temperature near -5°C, feeling like -9°C with the wind chill. There will be more clouds than sun for the day, but some breaks are in the forecast. The high is 0°C, feeling like -3°C with the windchill. The wind will be light from the SW and the uv index 1 or low. The seasonal norms are 1 and -7.
Tuesday night: Partly cloudy with a low of -5°C, feeling like -9°C.
STORM UPDATE: I am closely analyzing the forecast models for a very impressive storm system that will impact the region starting Thursday. There are 3 main components to this storm. 1. Lots of moisture, 2. A blast of Arctic air 3. Strong winds. The exact track is yet to be clearly defined. However, at this time, this is how it looks like it will play out.
Thursday: Rain and freezing rain.
Friday: Morning rain/freezing rain changing to snow and very strong winds.(80km/h). There is a risk of a flash freeze.
Friday night into Saturday: Heavy bands of snow and possibly blizzard conditions. This could close some highways. More to come.
What you need to know, currently.
La Niña is expected to continue into the winter, with equal chances of La Niña and ENSO-neutral during January-March 2023. In February-April 2023, there is a 71% chance of ENSO-neutral. A #LaNina Advisory remains in effect. https://t.co/5zlzaYJ1Lp pic.twitter.com/IKDvRvLzny
— NWS Climate Prediction Center (@NWSCPC) December 8, 2022
A La Niña advisory is in effect, and it is expected to continue into the winter. The climate pattern also has a 50-50 chance of continuing into early 2023 as well.
Earth had one of the hottest summers on record this year. This is peculiar because the climate pattern across the tropical Pacific, or El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), was in its cool phase, aka La Niña. During this phase, the Pacific’s waters are far cooler than normal, and changes global weather patterns.
In the winter months, La Niña can cause colder and stormier than average conditions across the North, and warmer, less stormier conditions in the South. Essentially, La Niña keeps global temperatures under control, despite extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, floods, wildfires, and droughts. In other words, La Niña stops these events from transforming into their worst form.
If La Niña continues into early 2023, the weather pattern will be one of the longest on record, as it began in spring 2020.
—Aarohi Sheth
What you can do, currently.
