Expired News - Intense snow squalls could impact evening commute in Ontario - The Weather Network
Your weather when it really mattersTM

Country

Please choose your default site

Americas

Asia - Pacific

Europe

News
As snow squalls intensify, commuters in southern Ontario are urged to prepare for potentially dangerous driving conditions Friday evening.

Intense snow squalls could impact evening commute in Ontario


Andrea Bagley
Digital Reporter

Friday, February 12, 2016, 3:41 PM - As snow squalls intensify, commuters in southern Ontario are urged to prepare for potentially dangerous driving conditions Friday evening.

An arctic front continues to sink south with bursts of snow impacting most areas across the region. These squalls could produce 20 to 25 cm of snow in parts, with a trace to 3 cm expected for the Greater Toronto Area.

"Under the heaviest snow squalls, snow may accumulate rapidly at rates up to several centimetres per hour," warns Environment Canada. "Very poor to nil visibilities may also be associated, due to the combination of heavy falling snow and blowing snow."

According to Weather Network meteorologist Tyler Hamilton, parts of eastern Ontario will be heavily impacted as well.

"We'll be paying particular attention to the 401 corridor from Brockville to Cornwall this afternoon as reduced visibilities and quickly accumulating snowfall could make for tricky travel," Hamilton says.

RELATED: Feeling like -30 in southern Ontario for the long weekend. Details here

SATURDAY

Behind the cold front comes a frigid northwesterly flow that is forecast to support lake effect snow squalls southeast of the Great Lakes Saturday.

"The air will be frigid but dry, so lake effect will weaken Saturday night into Sunday," added The Weather Network meteorologist Erin Wenckstern. "Accumulating snow will be limited since the airmass is literally so cold that it will be hard to produce snow. Blowing snow and whiteout conditions will be most problematic, especially for areas around London and up towards Kincardine."



POLAR VORTEX RETURNS

The biggest weather story for the weekend will be the potential for record cold for both Saturday and Sunday morning.

Extreme cold warnings are widespread across the entire province with the exception of extreme southwestern Ontario.

Very cold wind chill values of minus 30 to minus 35oC are expected Friday overnight into Saturday morning.

"At Toronto's Pearson Airport, the record low for Saturday is -23.2 °C (set in 1979) and the record for Sunday is -23.3°C (set in 1943), and both of these records are in jeopardy," said The Weather Network's Dr. Doug Gillham. "The wind chill will drop below -30 across most of southern Ontario and could reach -40 across parts of central and northern Ontario."

The cold eases Sunday into Monday with warmer air forecast to bump temperatures above the freezing mark by Tuesday.

Check below for cancellations and closures in your area.

Outages

Schools and Universities

Search all Ontario school boards here

Search all Ontario Universities here

Highway conditions

Airports

-- With files from Leeanna McLean

Default saved
Close

Search Location

Close

Sign In

Please sign in to use this feature.