Douglas: Colder-than-average temperatures likely until mid-December

We got the cold. Where’s the snow?

Skiers in the Rockies are euphoric over several feet of powder. And as much as 2-4 feet of snow may pile up from lake effect downwind of the Great Lakes near Buffalo, N.Y., and Erie, Pa. For the record, Minnesota lakes (with the exception of Superior) are too small to generate lake-effect snow squalls. You need a longer fetch of bitter air passing over relatively warm water to generate a firehose of lake effect snow.

Our coldest days tend to be sunny, certainly with outbreaks of Canadian air. Windchills dip below zero Friday so we are on the cusp of “arctic,” with temperatures running colder than average through mid-December. After that the crystal ball gets murky, but, no, this winter season won’t look anything like last winter, when it was theoretically possible to golf (in Minnesota) from December through March.

I see a few 30s by the second week of December, but Canada is open for business and winter coats will be the norm until further notice. Odds favor a white Christmas.