Dreaming of a white Christmas? Not a prayer in Calgary

If a white Christmas is high on your wish list, you'll likely be disappointed spending the holidays in Calgary.

Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips says the forecast for the next several days in Calgary makes virtually certain that the ground will be brown, not white, on Christmas.

"You'll have to travel to maybe Edmonton to find a white Christmas," he said.

"In fact, if anything, it's an atmospheric gift that travelling is going to be great in Western Canada. I mean, we don't see any storms that are going to keep you storm-stayed."

Phillips said Calgary has about five centimetres on the ground right now — but that won't last long.

A high of 5 C is forecast for Friday. A normal high would be –2 C.

"It's nothing but mild temperatures and sunshine from right now until … after Christmas."

 "So, nothing to give you any snow, and lots to take it away," he said.

"You're going to be more like a Vancouver kind of Christmas than a typical Calgary Christmas."

Phillips noted that there has been snow in Calgary for Christmas four years in a row until this year. But he said snow at Christmas in Calgary is becoming less and less common.

"Back in, I remember, maybe 50 years ago, you would have maybe a 70 per cent chance of a white Christmas. Now it's less than 60 per cent," he said, noting it could be due to climate change or the urban heat island effect, where metropolitan areas become warmer because of concentrated human activity.

Environment Canada forecasted the possibility of periods of snow overnight on Saturday — though by Christmas Eve, sunshine appears to be in the cards once again.