Arctic air brings chill to Ontario as next shot of snow looms for some
A system tracking south of the border Sunday will bring some accumulating snow to parts of southwestern Ontario.
The last day of January will once again feel like the depths of winter, with frigid morning lows and daytime highs nowhere near zero except for the extreme southwest, and more like -10°C for eastern Ontario. A U.S. system looks to brush parts of the southwest with light snow, and a return to seasonal and even slightly above-seasonal temperatures beckons for next week. For a closer look, see below.
WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS:
Cold temperatures continue through the weekend, down to -20°C morning lows for the east Sunday
Colorado low tracks south of the Great Lakes, grazes the southwest with snow Sunday
Temperatures begin recovering to seasonal and even slightly above-seasonal after Monday
SUNDAY: COLORADO LOW WILL SKIM THE SOUTH
The coldest air of the season descended on southern Ontario Friday, continuing on to Saturday, with daytime highs nowhere near the zero-degree mark – and morning lows in eastern Ontario down as far as -20°C, before even factoring in the wind chill.
It will be similarly cold Sunday morning, and there will be a sharp temperature divide between east and west by the afternoon, with places like Windsor and Sarnia flirting with 0°C, while Ottawa looks to get no warmer than -10°C once again.
One upside: A Colorado low brewing in the U.S. now looks to keep its heaviest impacts south of the border, affecting the U.S. Midwest and northeast with a wintry mix and heavy snowfall.
As for southern Ontario, it will be grazing parts of the extreme southwest, and likely just the northern shores of Lake Erie, with flurries beginning Saturday overnight or by the pre-dawn hours Sunday morning.
In terms of snowfall accumulations, the low will bring anywhere from 3-5 cm for other areas along Lake Erie to upwards to 10 cm for the extreme southwest.
Easterly winds are expected to strengthen over Lake Ontario Sunday, with gusts of 40-60 km/h, possibly allowing for lake enhancement snow for the west end of Lake Ontario, and definitely making it feel even more frigid due to the wind chill.
BEYOND: ARCTIC AIR EASES
Beyond the weekend, snow may likely return to these southwestern regions on Monday, though only light amounts.
More remarkable will be the temperatures, which will begin to recover to something much closer to seasonal as Arctic air ebbs. That rebound begins in earnest Tuesday, with temperatures gradually rising throughout the week.
Be sure to check back as we continue to update the forecast in Ontario.
