The so-called ‘Santa Bomb’ will be more of a ‘Rudolph rainfall’ in southern Ontario, long-range forecasts suggest – but some snow could fall on Christmas Day itself.

A low-pressure system currently over North America’s west coast will move eastward over the final few shopping days of the Christmas season.

The system is expected to be carrying a significant amount of precipitation with it as it moves into southern Ontario.

Depending exactly when that happens and what the temperature is when it does, that precipitation could fall as rain, snow or anything in-between.

As of Friday afternoon, Environment Canada is calling for the system to arrive in our coverage area late Tuesday, and strike in full force on Christmas Eve.

With temperatures forecast to stay above the freezing mark on Wednesday, much of the precipitation is expected to fall as rain.

On Christmas Day, temperatures are expected to dip just below freezing, with rain changing over to snow.

Looking to finish off your Christmas shopping or outdoor decorating this weekend?

Forecasts are calling for partly cloudy conditions all weekend long, with Saturday highs just below freezing and Sunday highs hovering right around that mark.