Shovels on standby: A snowy weekend is unfolding in southern Ontario
Snow will both start and end the weekend in southern Ontario, with some additional accumulations with lake enhancement and squalls. You'll want to plan ahead
If you have travel plans, you'll want to watch the forecast closely over the weekend. Snow will fall at the beginning and end of the weekend across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and surrounding areas.
Will that stick around? Please read on for the complete forecast details for this weekend into early next week.
Friday
This week sure has felt like winter with the coldest temperatures of the season thus far. For the most part, the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area has missed the heavy bands of lake-effect snow that have inundated the snowbelt regions.
However, that will change as we head into the weekend. Friday will start off with some sunshine, but we will see increasing clouds during the afternoon, and light snow will develop from west to east across southern Ontario during the late afternoon and evening.
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The frigid conditions we've recently been experiencing will relax as temperatures rebound back to near seasonal, but widespread light snow is likely Friday evening and through the overnight.
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While this will not be a major storm, we will receive enough snow to coat the ground across southern Ontario, including the GTA, with snow totals of around 5 cm, although some areas could see a couple of additional centimetres.
Plan accordingly!
Saturday
Light snow could linger into early Saturday morning, and weak bands of lake effect snow will develop for the traditional snowbelts southeast of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay.
However, for the rest of southern Ontario, clouds will mix with some sunshine during the late morning and afternoon and temperatures will be more comfortable than what we have seen for most of this week.
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Sunday
Sunday will be a pleasant day for enjoying outdoor winter sports—cold enough to avoid getting wet and slushy snow but milder than most of the week with minimal wind.
Next week
A clipper will track across our region during Sunday night and Monday. This will bring periods of light snow (a few cm possible). However, bands of lake effect snow will redevelop east of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay.
Tuesday will be a blustery day with flurries likely, and narrow bands of much heavier lake effect snow will continue southeast of Georgian Bay and Lake Huron.
Wednesday will be the coldest day of next week despite some sunshine.
Temperatures will trend milder (near seasonal) for late next week and the weekend, but a rather wintry pattern is expected for the following week.
