Ottawa winter outlook: El Nino to bring warm start to winter in the Capital

As Ottawans brace themselves to find out if the canal will reopen this year, El Niño might have other plans.

As Ottawans brace themselves to find out if the canal will reopen this year, El Niño might have other plans.

The Weather Networks is predicting El Niño conditions will bring milder temperatures to the Capital leading up to the holiday season, with a wintry pattern possibly developing around the holidays.

"During the weeks leading up to the holidays, we expect near-normal or above-normal temperatures across most of the country," The Weather Network said.

Environment Canada's senior climatologist David Phillips told CTV News Ottawa that he agrees with The Weather Networks assessment.

"We think the character of this winter will be milder than normal," he said. "I think El Niño is going to dominate the weather across the country."

The last El Niño year in Canada was in 2015-2016, which was a milder winter with slightly above normal precipitation.

Less snow is expected in southern Ontario and southern Quebec leading up to the holidays, but The Weather Network says a small deviation in the storm track could mean a more active weather pattern.