Messy, wintry weather threatens outages, commute impacts in Ontario
A developing storm could become a sprawling disruption for much of the province Wednesday and Thursday
If you haven't put your winter tires on in southern Ontario, travelling anywhere over the next two days will require some patience and adapting to the changing weather conditions.
A complex setup involving an Alberta clipper and a Colorado low over the Great Lakes could bring a wintry mix of precipitation, more so than others, depending on the location.
Slippery roads and isolated power outages are possible late Wednesday and Thursday in parts of southern and eastern Ontario, particularly where freezing rain and ice pellets are issues.
Drivers should plan accordingly now and make for alternate arrangements if needed, as they are likely to encounter delays on the roads.
Wednesday to Thursday
Computer models are having trouble deciding which air mass will dominate, so the exact placement of the icy ingredients continues to fluctuate.
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However, there is confidence that a stagnant area of freezing rain and ice pellets will set up east of Lake Huron in southwestern Ontario to Barrie and into eastern Ontario, with the higher escarpment elevation of the Dundalk Highlands also included in the mix.
WATCH: Messy mix of ice and snow on the way for southern Ontario
To the south of this line, Toronto and the Golden Horseshoe will be in the rain sector of this system, but expect travel to deteriorate while travelling out of the city, especially Wednesday evening.
The ice accretion will be taken over by rainfall and above-freezing temperatures by Thursday morning in the south.
But in the east, the icy ingredients linger for the Thursday morning commute with snow overnight for eastern Ontario including Ottawa, with a period of ice pellets pushing into the region. Ottawa will most likely remain as snow, but we can’t rule out some ice pellets.
Ottawa timing
Wednesday morning and afternoon will see cloud clover start to thicken. As we get into the overnight hours, the first flakes will fall. It will begin falling lightly and then intensifying as time wears on, making for a tricky, early-morning commute around Ottawa.
On Thursday, snow will continue into around the noon hour for the city. There could be a brief switch over to ice pellets and mixed precipitation into the afternoon hours. Temperatures will warm up into the single digits.
Stay with The Weather Network and check back frequently for the latest on this mid-week system and how it may affect your community and your travels.
Thumbnail courtesy of Max Fuchs/Unsplash.
