After months of warmer-than-usual fall weather, Sault Ste. Marie could experience a sudden shift to cold in the very near future, says a spokesperson for Environment Canada.
November may end up being among the warmest on record, while September and October temperatures were also above average, said Geoff Coulson, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
He doesn't expect the warm weather to last much longer.
"It has certainly been a warmer-than-normal fall, but it looks like we start to turn the corner this weekend into a return to more seasonal temperatures," said Coulson.
"Certainly with the forecast we're seeing for the weekend and into next week with daytime highs more like two or three degrees, maybe even colder than that overnight, it's certainly going to feel more traditionally fall-like."
Last year, much of Canada, including the Sault, experienced warmer-than-usual temperatures due to the El Niño effect. Coulson said despite the cozy fall, he doesn't expect another warm winter.
"I looked at the forecast for December and it is calling generally for more seasonal temperatures," he said. "Any way you slice it, it looks like it's shaping up to be more of a traditional winter for the Sault going forward."
So far this month, the average temperature in the Sault has been 5.4 C, well above the average of 1.2 C. The current record for the warmest November was in 2016, when there was an average temperature of 4.5 C.
"This November, we're on pace to being the warmest on record, but we still have 10 days left in the month," said Coulson.
November 2024 may also break records for the least amount of snowfall. So far, there has only been trace amounts of snow recorded in the region, versus a record low of 6.2 centimetres that was recorded for November of 2009.
"Normally in November, the long-term average snowfall is 43.6 centimetres, so we're well off that pace," said Coulson.
October was also warmer-than-usual with an average temperature of 9.5 C, but also notably drier than historic averages, with just 52.8 millimetres of total precipitation for the month versus the long-term average of 110.5 millimetres.
September will go down in the books as being the second warmest recorded in Sault Ste. Marie, with an average temperature of 16.2 C, well above the long-term average of 13.7.
"The warmest [September] was 16.5 C back in 2015, so much warmer than normal," said Coulson.