David Phillips says he used to look forward to La Nina and El Nino because it meant the forecast was more accurate.

But Environment Canada’s Senior Climatologist suggests it might be just as well to flip a coin as to weather this winter’s La Nina will be colder than normal.

Phillips says 47 colder than normal days is the general average for the winter period but last year there were 66 and the year prior, also a La Nina winter, there were 38.

Colder than normal is temperatures below minus-20-degrees Celsius.

According to Environment Canada’s website, La Nina is the appearance of cooler than normal waters in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean. “La Niña is thought to occur due to increases in the strength of the normal patterns of trade wind circulation. Under normal conditions, these winds move westward, carrying warm surface water to Indonesia and Australia allowing deep, cold water to rise to the surface along the South American coast.”

In Canada, La Nina can create above average precipitation in British Columbia, colder-than-normal temperatures in the Prairies and above average precipitation in Ontario and Quebec.