Winter may seem like a good stretch of time away, but in Alberta, we all know it’ll be here sooner than we would like.
With the thoughts of shovelling snow and bone-chilling temperatures, like windchill values creeping up to the -50°C mark like in years past, an early winter forecast that was recently released is hinting at a very interesting season.
With the prospect of an extraordinarily strong El Niño on the way, the U.S. based company OpenSnow, which specializes in weather forecasts, snow reports, high-resolution weather maps, and ski conditions information, has released its early North America winter forecast for the 2026/27 season.
When it comes to temperature this winter, OpenSnow is calling for above-normal temperatures favoured for a large swath of Alberta, including over heavily populated areas like Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary, Lethbridge, and Medicine Hat.
Northern areas of the province and east-central portions are sitting at an equal chance of seeing above- or below-average temperatures.
“In terms of seasonality, there is a neutral to below-average signal each month from November to February, but a slight above-average signal in March based on historical analogs. However, there is also a notable dry signal in April,” the OpenSnow forecast noted.
Looking at precipitation, sections of the Rockies and much of central Alberta are forecast to see below-normal precipitation, with the rest of the province sitting at equal chances above or below.
After seeing plenty of snowfall last year, the OpenSnow outlook for 2026-2027 is not as favourable for the Canadian Rockies, as strong El Niño years tend to favour below-average snowfall.
The forecast mentioned that the “two most recent historical analogs ended up closer to average,” so a decent snowpack this winter in the Alberta Rockies can’t be ruled out just yet.
Will we see a white Christmas in Edmonton and Calgary this December? Only time will tell.
You can view the full 2026-27 North America winter forecast preview on the OpenSnow website.
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