Weekend Outlook: Santa keeps the storm away

Santa has so many wonderful abilities, and it might be that nudging entire storm systems out of the way could be one of them. Just 24 hours ago it appeared that Sault Ste. Marie would be caught up in a large winter storm that was going to bring snow and rain all day Saturday and for the parade.  It seems that the storm has now been pushed further south; this means we should see just clouds, temperatures just a bit above freezing and a chilly north wind by parade time.  There's even a chance of a flurry as Santa makes his way down Queen Street.

There is the risk of some patchy freezing drizzle Friday morning with overcast skies all day.   A damp southeast wind builds today ahead of a large storm system that is now moving towards the lower Great Lakes.  The storm's track further south means that the Sault may see most precipitation fall as heavy wet snow. It could be mixed with rain later in the evening.

Snow starts by late Friday afternoon and continues overnight, ending before sunrise Saturday.  Precipitation amounts should be 5-10mm, so if it does fall entirely as snow, then there could be a slushy mess that melts away Saturday morning.

By Saturday morning we may see fog, mist giving way to cloudy skies and daytime highs near +3C for the parade.  Gusty north winds will develop in the evening to bring falling temperatures overnight.  The heavy snow from the storm system will hit well to the east towards Sudbury and North Bay tomorrow night and miss the Sault.

The winds become a little more northwesterly Sunday, and this will bring scattered snowsquall activity across the region. Daytime highs will remain a few degrees below freezing.

Next week should start with some sun with warmer, more seasonal temperatures.