Potent clipper system brings more travel impacts to Ontario Tuesday
Southern Ontarians may want to plan to leave work early on Tuesday, as a strong clipper threatens widespread snow and travel impacts through the evening commute time
Another snowy system will impact the afternoon and evening commute in southern Ontario Tuesday, hot on the heels of the windy, and convective front that brought power outages and road closures to start out this week.
The heaviest totals will once again target the traditional snowbelt regions, but with snow spreading across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), as well. Between 5-10 cm of snow is likely for areas north and east of Toronto, which will likely be enough to slow evening commute times on heavily travelled routes around the GTA.
Bands of lake-effect snow will pick up once again as the system departs the region through Wednesday, with locally higher snowfall totals and dangerous whiteout conditions likely.
DON'T MISS: Ice shoves are the hidden danger of the Great Lakes
The active weather doesn’t end there, either, with more systems that will impact Ontario this week, and into the weekend. A volatile pattern is expected as we head into February, as the region remains a battleground between the contrasting air masses. This type of pattern can produce messy Colorado and Texas lows, which will tap into Gulf moisture.
Tuesday into Wednesday: Brace for snowy travel impacts
A potent clipper system will move across Ontario through Tuesday, with snow picking up across the snowbelts through the afternoon, reaching into the GTA by the evening hours. This time, the snow will be wetter and sticky, bringing some decent totals through Tuesday night.
Between 3-5 cm is forecast for western sections of the GTA, with 5-10 cm as you head north and east of Toronto. Between 5-10 cm is also likely for areas including London, Hamilton and into the Niagara region.
Wind gusts are forecast to pick up in southwestern Ontario later Tuesday night, as well, leading to snow, blowing snow and dangerous whiteout conditions for Kincardine, London and surrounding areas.
RELATED: The crucial extra item you must include in your winter emergency kit
The stubborn Arctic air over eastern Ontario will force the system to slow, and advance east, only clipping Ottawa with fluffy snow late Tuesday and Wednesday morning, and bringing just over 5 cm of accumulation.
The heaviest snow totals will fall across the snowbelt region once again, with 10-20 cm forecast through Wednesday. As the cold front passes through on Wednesday, additional snow squalls will kick up, with locally higher totals and whiteout impacts expected.
Drivers are urged to brace for the changing and deteriorating conditions. If visibility is reduced while driving, it's important to slow down, watch for tail lights ahead, and be prepared to stop.
Stay up-to-date with the latest weather alerts in your area, and be sure to monitor road conditions throughout the region.
Volatile pattern takes shape as we kick off February this weekend
We're closely watching the track of a Texas low, which is expected to push south of the region during Friday. This system will be a primarily rain event for the eastern U.S., but there could be some ice and snow along the northern edge of the system. It is possible that this system will track too far south of the border to have a significant impact on southern Ontario, but a more northerly track would bring the threat for snow, ice and rain into the region.
DON’T MISS: January’s jet stream drama leads to February pattern swap in Canada
An active and volatile pattern is expected for the first few weeks of February, as the region remains the battleground between cold and mild air masses. This pattern is conducive for messy winter systems.
WATCH: Treacherous travel with gusty winds across Ontario
Be sure to check back for the latest forecast updates across Ontario.