The relatively warm weather and heavy snow Whitehorse is experiencing is expected to be driven off by a surge of arctic air in the second half of the week.
As of 11 a.m. on Dec. 21 it is -10C in the Yukon capital and a storm is in the process of dropping wet heavy snow. Brian Proctor, an Environment Canada meteorologist, said Whitehorse could expect as much as 20 cm of snow before the storm moves on and tapers into flurries this afternoon.
According to Environment Canada, the storm is caused by a system of low-pressure air pushing in southeast from the northern Alaksan panhandle. People are being warned to adjust their driving as heavy snow hits much of southwestern Yukon and northwestern British Columbia.
Proctor said Whitehorse may see some overnight flurries but arctic air will return and the temperature will drop sharply by Wednesday. He said the coming cold will be seasonably normal with lows of -30C to -35C and highs around -27C. He said a brisk northerly wind can also be expected.
(Jim Elliot)