White Christmas unlikely in Toronto this year

Bad news for anyone dreaming of a white Christmas in the Toronto area this year.

With mild December weather across southern Ontario, you might be more likely to break out your bicycle than your skis come Christmas week.

• Full Toronto forecast here

CBCNewsmeteorologist Jay Scotland says the prospect of a white Christmas in Toronto is looking especially slim.

So far, there has been lessthan 1 centimetre of snow in the city,compared to the nearly35 centimetresof snowfall we saw around this time last year.

With noticeably cooler weather this Wednesday morning, temperatures are starting to wind down, but they arestill above the norm.

It might take a Christmas miracle for temperatures to cool down enough in time for the winter holiday.

Green Christmas in the forecast

"We always see the Christmas in the movies being a white Christmas and we kind of long for that picture-perfect movie-style Christmas," says Scotland."It just doesn't always work out for the lower Great Lakes."

He says most people in the GTA are used to having a "green Christmas" every now and then.

"That's pretty typical when you're next to a relatively warm body of water in Lake Ontario," Scotland said.

"I'm getting a lot less nasty looks than I did last year and certainly the year before. I mean,we had record-breaking cold last year."

While some are welcoming the mild winter weather as a break from last year's chilly temperatures, others are less excited.

Winter sports on hold

For those who enjoy winter sports,the mild temperaturesmeanfewer opportunities to break out the skis and skates.

Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation spokespersonMatthew Cutler says the city has 50 rinks, but eight of them are closed due to the weather.

"Our ski and snowboardcentreshaven't opened for the season and we don't expect they'll open until January," says Cutler. "We need to see some snow on the ground."

Athletes won't be the only ones let down by the weather.

"Kids, I think, will be the most disappointed," said Scotland.

They may have to wait until January for official snowball season to start.