(Montreal) Canadian winters are getting warmer and above normal temperatures are forecast across the country for the upcoming season.
Forecasts from Environment and Climate Change Canada indicate that winter will be warmer than usual and “human-caused climate change and a strong El Niño are both contributing to this warming,” according to the federal agency. .
During a media presentation Friday, department officials presented charts showing that Canadian winters have warmed by almost three degrees Celsius, on average, since 1948.
Of this increase, almost two degrees are attributed to climate change caused by humans, according to the federal ministry.
“Regarding precipitation, there are no clear forecasts” for the majority of regions of the country, including southern Quebec, indicated Environment Canada meteorologist Gerald Cheng.
However, he added, “warmer than usual conditions mean that more precipitation will fall as rain and less as snow and the snow on the ground will tend to melt more quickly.”