The first official day of Winter is Thursday, December 21, which seems appropriate considering the snowfall warning issued by Environment Canada Tuesday, December 18.

The Foothills is expected to see anywhere from 10-to-30 centimetres of snow from Tuesday through Wednesday evening.

Dan Kulak, Meteorologist with Environment Canada, says Tuesday is when the heavier snow will start to hit.

"We are expecting some areas in southwestern Alberta to see 30 centimetres or more of snow. It's going to be a big change from what we've been seeing the last two or three weeks."

He says the La Nina that was predicted for this winter is still relevant.

"The La Nina situation we talked about in the fall is still present and typically the La Ninas do bring cooler and snowier winters to western Canada," explains Kulak. "Perhaps we've just had a bit of a reprieve in the last few weeks and maybe what's been happening is going to be a sign of things to come, not quite sure, but it certainly is going to be a change from what we've been experiencing the last few weeks."

Kulak adds Environment Canada will issue an updated seasonal forecast for January, February, and March at the end of December.