Hamilton in for a ‘perfect Christmas card look’
“It’s going to feel like winter, it’s going to look like winter, and guess what? It is winter”
Hamiltonians can expect to wake up to a “perfect Christmas card look” when they look out their windows Monday morning.
A 40 per cent chance of snow Sunday night will likely bring enough white stuff to “freshen up” the approximately eight centimetres that accumulated Thursday night into Friday, said David Phillips, senior climatologist at Environment Canada.
“I clearly think it will be a white Christmas.”
On Dec. 25, Hamilton is expected to have about two centimetres of snow on the ground plus a light falling snow.
It will be the perfect background for a turkey dinner and opening presents, Phillips said, but not enough to severely hamper driving and “keep the in-laws back sleeping overnight.”
While Hamilton has had a white Christmas the last four out of eight years, the “perfect Christmas Day” only comes around once every four years, he said.
“This one has all the elements of it without being a crippler,” he said. “It’s just going to put people in a good mood in southern Ontario.”
A patch of freezing drizzle Friday didn’t wreak too much havoc on the roads unlike last week’s snowstorm, which was the first substantial dumping of the season, said Hamilton police Const. Jerome Stewart.
“Our numbers today pale in comparison to last week, which we’re very happy for.”
Phillips said the freezing drizzle was expected to end early Saturday morning.
But the snow is expected to stick around as the temperature drops Sunday and stay below the freezing mark over the next week, Phillips said.
“People who get gifts at Christmas that are meant for playing outdoors — whether it be polar fleece garments, whether it be snowboards, toboggans, saucers or what have you — it is going to be absolutely fabulous weather for that from Christmas to New Year’s and beyond,” he said.
“It’s going to feel like winter, it’s going to look like winter, and guess what? It is winter,” he added.