40 cm of snow: First storm of the year for parts of Canada
Look no further than the territories up north for signs of the changing seasons
A remarkably mild September for parts of Canada will end with a hefty thump of snow over the next couple of days.
The same cold trough that’s brought snow to Whistler and portions of Western Canada will produce a spell of heavy snowfall across sections of Northern Canada.
Some remote areas that saw readings as high as 20°C this past week are in line for up to 40 cm of snow from this system.
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The predominant pattern over Canada this month has kept portions of the Northwest Territories and southern Nunavut very mild for September. Fort Reliance, N.W.T., hit 20.4°C on Monday, Sept. 21.
A sharp temperature contrast over Alberta and Saskatchewan this weekend created the ideal region for a powerful low-pressure system to develop and move north. This system will continue to deepen as it moves into southern Nunavut through the remainder of the weekend.
Moisture streaming in from the south will allow plenty of precipitation to fall along the system’s path, including heavy, wet snow on the cooler side of the storm.
The heaviest snow is expected from the eastern fringes of Great Slave Lake extending toward regions north of Baker Lake. We’ll eventually see snowfall as far east as Baffin Island.
Some locations are in line for as much as 40 cm of snow by the end of the system.
Early-season snowfall events are generally when this part of Canada receives the heaviest accumulations, as they can tap into a deeper reserve of moisture than storms that form during the very dry winter months.
Snow eventually starts to creep south during a typical October, though this month may not play out like average as a strong El Niño dominates the pattern across Canada.