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Greater Victoria likely to see a white Christmas, expert predicts

‘It’s a good year for St. Nick for sure, at least in Canada’
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Greater Victoria could be in for a white Christmas with snow set to start Dec. 24. (Black Press Media file photo)

Residents of B.C.’s south coast are less accustomed to a white Christmas but there’s hope for Greater Victoria this year.

In other parts of the province, Hope and communities to the north and east – areas typically more prone to snow over the holiday – have a 100 per cent chance of a white Christmas, according to Doug Lundquist, a meteorologist for Environment Canada.

While south coast residents are less accustomed than their interior counterparts, this year’s forecast looks favourable with an 80 or 90 per cent chance of snowfall for Dec. 25 – even in Victoria.

READ ALSO: Three safety tips for shovelling snow

“It’s a good year for St. Nick for sure, at least in Canada,” Lundquist said. “It’s going to be cold enough … I’m highly confident you’re going to see white on Christmas Day.”

As of Monday, Dec. 20, the forecast for Christmas Eve through Boxing Day in Greater Victoria includes snow. Christmas Eve, with a high of 4 C and an overnight low of -1 C, is set to be cloudy with a mix of rain and flurries and turning to snow overnight. Christmas Day warms up slightly to 2 C but has an overnight low of -3 C with a mix of rain and snow, returning to straight snow Boxing Day when the daytime temperature is expected to stick to 0 C.

There could be flurries on Christmas Eve, Lundquist noted, but he expects regular snowfall will wait until residents can “hunker down” for the holiday.

He also predicts the entire nation could have a white Christmas, with only a small portion in the extreme south of Ontario possibly escaping.

Five days is a stretch to anticipate how much snow will fall, those numbers will come later in the week. But there are parts of Vancouver Island likely to see snow as early as Tuesday (Dec. 21).

By Saturday it’ll be white, even in downtown Victoria, Lundquist said.

READ ALSO: Emergency program lead offers tips as winter storm season descends on Greater Victoria

The odds are Greater Victoria won’t hit any record amounts. Historical records show the greatest snowfall for Dec. 25 is 9.1 cm in 1971 but the record for the most snow on the ground for the day is 35 centimetres in 2008.

Residents in some areas of Greater Victoria will recall a white Christmas last year after some lingering snow was left on the ground after falling hard on the first day of winter 2020.

READ ALSO: Ferries running, hundreds still without power after snow hits Greater Victoria


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Christine van Reeuwyk

About the Author: Christine van Reeuwyk

I'm dedicated to serving the community of Oak Bay as a senior journalist with the Greater Victoria news team.
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