Freezing drizzle, brutal cold: Weekend weather forecast wrap

A person walks through snow-covered trees in Needham Park following a winter storm in Halifax on Christmas Day, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

From freezing rain to brutal cold, wintry conditions are in the forecast across Canada this weekend.

Here’s a quick look at the weather alerts issued across Canada, and forecasts in the country’s major cities:

Atlantic Canada

Sunday is expected to be the coldest day of the weekend in St. John’s, N.L. with a high of -1. Drizzle and rain are in the forecast for Friday and Saturday.

The temperature is expected to be around the freezing mark in Corner Brook, Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor and other areas. Labrador City may see some snow on over the weekend, with highs between -6 C and -1 C.

Residents of much of the Maritimes can expect sun and cloud and daytime highs between 3 C and -2 C, depending on the day, followed by several days of rain next week, according to Environment Canada’s seven-day forecast. This includes Halifax, Cape Breton, Charlottetown and Moncton.

Fredericton residents have slightly cooler temperatures in store, the forecast suggests, and may see flurries on New Year’s Eve and Day.

Quebec

With temperatures expected to warm over the next few days, several parts of Quebec are under weather advisories and warnings expected to apply from Friday through Sunday.

Freezing rain warnings were issued for the following regions of Quebec Friday:

The following areas are under special weather statements that also advise of a risk of freezing rain as of 2 p.m.:

Montreal and Quebec city are also under smog warnings Friday. The forecast predicted a high of around -10 in both cities, but warming up over the weekend and reaching a high of 7 or 8 C by Monday.

Ontario

Drivers in several parts of Ontario are advised to be cautious over the weekend with freezing rain in the forecast Friday and Saturday.

As of Friday afternoon, freezing drizzle advisories were in effect for the following regions:

Freezing rain warnings were issued for:

In Ottawa, there is a risk of freezing rain this weekend, but no alerts or advisories had been issued as of Friday afternoon.

Elsewhere, precipitation is expected to fall as rain through the weekend and into next week, including in Toronto, Barrie, London and Windsor. Flurries are possible in some spots on New Year’s Day.

Prairies

No alerts or advisories have been issued in Manitoba. Sunday is expected to be the coldest day of the weekend for most areas, including Winnipeg (high of -5 C), Brandon (high of -10 C) and Flin Flon (high of -3).

Freezing rain warnings were issued Friday morning in several municipalities of Saskatchewan, though the risk was only for the morning, according to the forecast. They were no longer in effect by noon local time Friday.

Affected communities previously included the cities of Regina and Saskatoon, as well as Prince Albert, Douglas and North Battleford.

The full list from Environment Canada will be updated as alert statuses change.

Flurries are possible Friday in cities including Regina and Saskatoon, and on Saturday in some spots including in Prince Albert.

Alberta

No alerts have been issued for Alberta ahead of the weekend.

Environment Canada forecasts the temperature to drop during the weekend, with daytime highs ranging from 0 on Friday down to -7 by Sunday in Edmonton, and from 5 in Calgary Friday down to -2 by Sunday. The longer-term forecast suggests both cities will see much cooler highs and lows later in the week, including a high of -16 C and low of -19 C on New Year’s Day in Edmonton, and -11/-15 in Calgary.

Red Deer residents can expect highs between 0 on Friday and -10 on Sunday, getting slightly warmer Monday and Tuesday before dropping on New Year’s Day, according to the weekly forecast.

Lethbridge is also expected to cool down heading into next week, with a high of 7 on Saturday but then -2 by Sunday, dipping to -11 by Jan. 1.

British Columbia

A single snowfall warning was issued Friday morning for one area of British Columbia. Those passing through or living in the Sea to Sky region between Squamish and Whistler were warned that snow accumulation is possible at higher elevations Friday through Saturday afternoon, and as much as 20 centimetres of snow is possible.

The weekend forecast for Vancouver includes days of rain and highs between 7 and 10. Victoria’s forecast is similar.

Residents of Kelowna and Kamloops may see a bit of snow or rain Friday and Saturday, with highs just above the freezing mark over the weekend.

Further north, Environment Canada advises of a chance of flurries in areas including Prince George and Burns Lake, and sun and cloud in Dawson Creek, Terrace, Dease Lake and elsewhere.

Northern Canada

No weather warnings are in place for Canada’s territories.

There’s a chance of snow in Whitehorse Sunday, and weekend temperatures range from a high of 0 Friday to a low of -13 C on Sunday night. A chilly New Year’s Day is in the forecast for the city, with a high of -19 C predicted so far.

Snow is in the forecast all weekend for Yellowknife, where daytime highs are expected to range between -7 and -9. New Year’s Day should be even colder in the Northwest Territories capital with a forecast high of -26 and low of -30.

Iqaluit residents can expect a cooler weekend, with Sunday’s high reaching only -18 C, but the forecast calls for a warmer Jan. 1, when the mercury may climb to -8 and snow is possible.