Will it be a white Christmas in Toronto this year?

Winter may have officially arrived but don’t expect a white Christmas in Toronto this year.

“At this point, there is no accumulating snowfall forecast for the City of Toronto between now and Christmas Day,” CTV News Toronto meteorologist Michelle Jobin said.

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“In fact, temperatures will be climbing to above normal temperatures between now and Monday, with showers forecast Dec. 23, and highs in the mid to upper single digits for Dec. 24 and 25.”

The first full day of winter, Friday will be met with a mix of sun and clouds, with temperatures expected to hover around 2 C, according to Environment Canada.

Moving into Saturday, things are set to warm up to about 4 C and the national weather agency has forecast a 60 per cent chance of showers.

On Sunday and Monday – Christmas Eve and Christmas Day – temperatures are expected to hover between a high of 6 and 8 C, with no precipitation forecast.

Last year, Toronto was buried under a significant snowfall just days before Christmas amid warnings of extreme weather coast-to-coast.

Blizzards across the country saw hundreds of flights cancelled and many travellers scrambling to find alternative routes

“While snow for Christmas would be lovely, on the positive side, we are not looking at major storms causing travel delays or dangerous conditions on the road immediately before Christmas, like we did in 2022,” Jobin said. “So I’ll take a green Christmas over that.”

Cars drive along Toronto's Lakeshore Drive as visibility diminishes through falling hail, snow, and rain in Toronto, Ontario on Saturday, April 14, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

According to David Phillips of Environment Canada, most of the country has been unusually dry and warm this year.

That adds up to a green Yule, he said, since the snow hasn't had a chance to fall and when it does, it melts.

Phillips says it's the result of a strong El Nino pattern this fall coming after a spring and summer that was already unusually warm.

He says Canadians are still likely to face some serious winter yet.

But he says some parts of the country -- especially the West -- are likely to face serious drought and wildfire weather in the coming year unless some snow falls.

The average high for Dec. 25 in Toronto is -0.5 C. The highest temperature recorded on that day was nearly 16 C in 1982. 

With files from The Canadian Press.