For Canadians dreaming of a white Christmas, Mother Nature might have the answer as some potentially troublesome weather is expected in the days leading up to the holiday.
Environment Canada has issued a number of weather advisories across the country as treacherous conditions, ranging from freezing rain to snow to a blizzard, are expected in various parts of Canada.
The organization says Atlantic Canada is expected to be the hardest-hit region when it comes to snowfall as two storms are expected between Saturday night and Monday.
Jean-Marc Couturier, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, told The Canadian Press, Nova Scotians can expect mostly rain on Saturday night while New Brunswick and Newfoundland can expect a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow.
The region is expected to be hit again on Christmas Day, this time with significant snowfall as well as rain. New Brunswick is expected to be hit with as much as 20 centimetres of snow on Monday.
Couturier warns travelers to be careful-- through the weekend, as conditions may not be ideal.
Many holiday travellers have also been dealing with delays due to the weather.
"Well you never like to be late or flights being delayed, we've got a little delay (Friday) but hopefully we make it,” Natalie Cook, a holiday traveler, told CTV Atlantic.
“Coming from Australia, there’s a lot more delays (in Canada), but we’re not used to this weather, so we have to enjoy the snow falling.”
Several weather warnings have also been issued for eastern Quebec, where areas can see up to 20 centimetres of snow by Saturday night.
It looks like Southern Ontario will get some snow over the holiday weekend as well. Environment Canada says between five and 10 centimetres are expected on Christmas Eve, with the potential for more in areas closer to Lake Ontario.
In the northern regions of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, Environment Canada has issued an extreme cold warning for the weekend. Parts of the area could dip down to as low as -54 degrees celsius with the wind chill.
“Cover up,” Environment Canada says. “Frostbite can develop within minutes on exposed skin, especially with wind chill.”
Portions of Nunavut have blizzards warnings for the weekend as winds are expected to gust up to 80 kilometres an hour.
On the West Coast, British Columbia can expect up to four centimetres of snow in parts of the mainland, but Vancouver Island could see 10 centimetres on Sunday.
With a report from CTV Atlantic’s Allan April and with files from The Canadian Press
