Old Farmer’s Almanac forecasts a split Canadian winter

The Old Farmer’s Almanac is forecasting a split winter for Canada in 2026-27, with milder-than-normal weather across much of southern Canada and the far North, colder conditions through central Canada and above-normal snowfall in both the East and the West.

Searches for the almanac climbed in Canada on Monday, according to Google Trends. The forecast itself was published by the almanac’s weather team on Sept. 16, 2026, and is also part of the 2027 Canadian Edition of the book.

“Canada is simply too vast for a one-size-fits-all winter forecast,” Carol Connare, the almanac’s editor-in-chief, said in the forecast. She said much of the South and far North are likely to enjoy milder-than-average conditions, while colder weather settles across parts of the middle of the country.

The almanac said colder-than-normal temperatures are expected in southeastern Ontario, and from northern Newfoundland and Labrador westward across central Canada, through the northern Prairies and into central and northern British Columbia. Most of southern Canada and the far North should be near to above normal. “Above normal” is relative, the almanac cautioned, and it is still a Canadian winter.

On snow, the almanac said Atlantic Canada, southern Quebec, southern Ontario, the area from the northwestern Prairies through British Columbia, and southern Nunavut should all be snowier than normal.

In Atlantic Canada, the almanac predicts a warmer-than-normal start to winter, with cooler days arriving in the new year. It expects above-normal precipitation, near- to above-normal snowfall, the coldest stretches in early to mid-January and mid-February, and the snowiest periods in late December, early to mid-January and early and late February.

For southern Quebec, the almanac forecasts above-normal temperatures, below-normal precipitation and near- to slightly above-normal snowfall. It lists the coldest periods as early to mid-January and mid- to late February.

Southern Ontario is expected to be drier overall but with above-normal snowfall, the almanac said. Eastern areas are forecast to be colder than usual and western areas warmer. The coldest periods are listed as mid- and late January and early and late February, and the snowiest as early and late January and mid-March.

The southern Prairies are forecast to have a less severe winter, with above-normal temperatures throughout. The almanac expects a drier winter with less snow in the east and above-normal precipitation in the west, with the coldest periods from late December into mid-January and in mid-February.

Southern British Columbia is forecast to be wetter and snowier than normal, with colder temperatures in the north of the region and above-normal temperatures farther south. The almanac lists late December and early and mid-January as the snowiest periods.

In the territories, the almanac expects above-normal temperatures in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, with below-normal precipitation and snowfall in Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Southern Nunavut is forecast to be wetter and snowier than the north.

Long-range almanac forecasts are not the same as official forecasts from Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the almanac’s regions are broad. The almanac also publishes a separate Canadian edition forecast from the Farmers’ Almanac, a different publication that has issued its own winter outlook.

Canada News Media has also reported on the Super El Niño and what a milder winter could mean for Canada and on the early weakening of the polar vortex. For this week’s conditions, see our Weekend Ready roundup.

Source: The Old Farmer’s Almanac, Canada Winter Forecast 2026-2027.

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