First snow rarely asks permission—it simply arrives, cold and unhurried, settling over Barrie just as autumn finishes its last breath. This November, the forecast reads more like a warning than a whisper: snow is coming, and it means business.
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, Ontario’s November will be marked by a parade of cold, shifting clouds and a steady advance of snow across the province. With temperatures hovering around 1°C—noticeably lower than the seasonal norm—Barrie and its neighbours are on alert for what’s shaping up to be one of the snowiest periods of the season.
The forecast begins with rain and snow mingling in the first ten days, a bleak introduction that rarely inspires poetry but does prompt early morning shovelling. As mid-November approaches, a stubborn chill lingers before briefly giving way to milder air, but the reprieve is short-lived. Between November 25 and 27, the Almanac predicts a bona fide snowstorm, followed by yet more unsettled weather as the month ends in a flurry of rain and snow showers.
Barrie’s local businesses and residents—old hands at outsmarting winter—are watching the skies and the calendar. November’s precipitation is expected to reach 65 millimetres, just below average, but it is the timing and intensity that command attention. Community organizations are bracing for disruptions, from delayed commutes to the inevitable scramble for salt and snowplows. For Barrie’s families, the forecast is both a nuisance and a call to arms, a test of the city’s resilience as sidewalks disappear and routines bend to the whims of the weather.
Across Ontario, the divergence is stark: eastern towns can expect colder, drier weeks ahead, while western regions may see milder days but heavier snowfall. For Barrie, perched as it is between these two extremes, the coming month will demand flexibility, grit, and a sense of humour.
The first snows of November rarely stick around unchallenged. But in Barrie, as history proves, so do the people. Their response to this early winter onslaught will set the tone for the season yet to come.
References:
Ontario’s weather forecast for November says there will be snow during these weeks
