A new Ontario winter forecast for 2025 just landed and here's what to expect

It may only be August, but this week's cooler, almost fall-like temperatures in Ontario are serving as a blunt reminder that the long, balmy days of summer are almost over, and the colder months are rapidly creeping up on us.

For better or worse (depending on which season is your favourite), we are less than four weeks away from the start of autumn proper — only a few days away, in fact, if you're using meteorological fall as the benchmark.

After our few weeks of fiery colours, pumpkin patches and festive family meals will come the dreaded-by-many winter period, which is looking to be quite stereotypically Canadian in the province, according to newly-released forecasts for the months to come.

The Old Farmer's Almanac has just revealed its weather predictions for winter 2025-2026 coast-to-coast, and unfortunately, residents of Southern Ontario are set to see some of the most miserable conditions of all.

While the authority is calling for a "mostly wet and mild" winter, it advises Canadians to "still brace for snowy stretches, chilly snaps, and the occasional polar surprise," especially in and around the GTA and cottage country.

While every other part of the nation is expected to see warmer, less severe weather than is usual for the time of year, cold and dry conditions are on deck for this swath of Ontario.

As the official forecast, released on Tuesday, states, "Winter will be milder than average across most of Canada, though Southeastern Ontario may experience below-normal temperatures."

It emphasizes that "mild," in this case, is still far from tropical, as any Canadian will know.

Looking more granularly — which is still quite vague, given the nature of these long-range forecasts — the Toronto area is anticipated to experience less than average levels of snowfall and other precipitation alongside our more frigid temps, with the most snowfall hitting in mid-to-late December, the first and last weeks of January, and early February.

Things to keep in mind this winter are near-neutral La Niña pattern (from last year's "weak" La Niña), and the potential for some southward movement of the polar vortex "if certain conditions align" — in which case Southern Ontario could be in for even more of a doozy, chill-wise.

This outlook from The Old Farmer's Almanac, which has been issuing this and other forecasts since 1792, differs somewhat from the Farmer's Almanac (sans the "Old") projections issued earlier this month.

That forecast outlines more "traditional winter patterns" ranging from deep freezes to major snowfall across Ontario as well as elsewhere in the country.