It's going to be a snowy start to winter in Sarnia-Lambton.
The winter season officially arrives at 4:21 a.m. Saturday, December 21.
Environment Canada Meteorologist Steven Flisfeder said we'll likely see some squall activity Saturday. A snow squall warning was put in place for Sarnia-Lambton late Friday afternoon.
"People in the area can expect very cold temperatures throughout the day, and some pretty intense flurry activity," said Flisfeder. "It will be very localized but there will be some lake effect snow off of the southern tip of Lake Huron directed pretty much straight towards the Sarnia area."
He said Lake Huron's water temperature has remained above seasonal.
"And that lake effect possibility doesn't really shut off until the lake starts to freeze," said Flisfeder. "And we've been seeing over the past few years, the lake has not been freezing, so anytime we get a burst of cold air coming over the lake, that's going to give an opportunity for lake effect snow to affect areas downstream."
The up and down temperatures we've been seeing over the fall months will carry over into the winter season.
"I would say that rollercoaster of up and down is going to continue," said Flisfeder. "So with the start of winter this weekend, those temperatures are going to be starting off a few degrees below seasonal. Starting off low, but as we make our way towards mid-week, it's going to be going above seasonal by a few degrees. So, that rollercoaster is expected to continue at least in the two to three week period."
Looking ahead to next week, Flisfeder said areas that get high snow accumulations over the weekend will likely still have snow on the ground for a white Christmas, despite temperatures just above the freezing mark.
The normal high for this time of year in Sarnia-Lambton is around 0 C. On Christmas Day, Environment Canada is calling for a high of 3 C.