Don't get soft, Winnipeg: AccuWeather is predicting "bitter cold" in the new year.

It's going to be windier and milder on the Praiires, especially Alberta, to start the season, said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Brett Anderson.

"A pattern change by midwinter will likely send waves of very cold Arctic air directed into the southern Prairies for January and February," Anderson said.

But it will likely hold off till January, he said.

"Despite the arctic fronts, a persistent northwesterly flow of air during the second half of winter will suppress moisture far to the south, leading to below-normal snowfall over the eastern Prairies," he said.

A stormy start to winter in the west should make for a good ski season, he said.

Meanwhile, the overall weather pattern this winter will favor warmer-than-normal conditions across far northern Canada, including Nunavut, the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories.