B.C.'s South Coast likely to miss out on Canada's white Christmas this year

Most Canadians dreaming of a white Christmas will likely have their wishes come true this year unless they live on the South Coast of B.C.

While British Columbia has experienced the most active December in nearly eight years with snow falling across the bulk of the province, much of it is expected to melt in the coming days.

That means much of Metro Vancouver and and the South Coast is unlikely to see snow on Christmas Day, according to the Weather Network's chief meteorologist Chris Scott.

Meanwhile, large swaths of the rest of the country will see at least two centimetres of snow on the ground Christmas morning, he predicts though much of that will be from previous snowfalls.

"Most of the population of Canada has seen winter weather. Even if you might not have it in a couple of places on Christmas day, I think everyone's going into Christmas feeling quite wintry for a change."

Regions likely to experience a white Christmas include Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Fredericton and the three territorial capitals.

Storm threatens travel plans

Meanwhile all the snow might not be a blessing for those travelling to central Canada, which is bracing for a major storm on Christmas Day.

Scott says most of Manitoba and parts of eastern Saskatchewan and northwestern Ontario are in the path of a significant weather system that has the potential to disrupt holiday travel plans on Christmas or Boxing Day.

"This one coming for the southern Prairies...that's one where I would already start thinking about changing my plans," Scott said.

"We encourage people to monitor the situation for watches and warnings that would be issued. You just do not want to be travelling anywhere, it looks like, in southern Manitoba."

He said that storm is expected to stretch into the United States, possibly complicating travel for those heading south of the border.

Scott said precipitation is also possible across parts of Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes, but does not anticipate those systems will be as significant.

Wanna bet on that?

While forecasting the weather is a notoriously tricky business, the B.C. Lottery Corporation is offering odds for those feeling lucky.

The PlayNow.com website is offering gamblers a chance to bet on a white Christmas for Vancouver, Winnipeg and cities across the U.K., based on snowfall recorded at their airports on Christmas Day.