Travel alert: Heavy snow covering Ontario roads, punchy winds arriving
Southern Ontario is facing rapidly deteriorating travel conditions, with 5–15 cm of snow, gusty winds, and freezing temperatures likely creating icy, slippery roads heading into Friday evening
Dangerous road conditions continue across southern Ontario amid a quick-hitting blanket of snow hitting the region on Friday afternoon.
Snowfall rates could reach 2-3 cm per hour at times, along with strong wind gusts of 50-60+ km/h developing throughout the day.
Check the road conditions before you head out, and leave extra time for any travel.
The Ontario Provincial Police is reminding drivers to remain alert and drive according to the conditions.
Additionally, forecasters are closely watching another significant system that could affect the province later this weekend.
Friday: Heavy snow and strong winds, risk of localized outages and travel delays
A clipper system will continue bringing heavy snow and high winds through southern Ontario into the early evening hours on Friday. The heaviest snowfall will likely affect many commuters as they make their way home this afternoon and evening.
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By Friday night, heavier snow will shift eastward toward Oshawa, Peterborough, and Kingston, while light rain may mix in along the lakeshore from Toronto to Hamilton, reducing totals in those areas.
Snowfall will move into Ottawa late Friday evening, continuing into Saturday morning, with light lake-effect snow lingering around Lake Huron and Georgian Bay into the pre-dawn hours.
Most of the GTA is expected to receive 5–10 cm of snow, with areas closer to Lake Ontario seeing the lower amounts. Snow accumulations of 10–15+ cm are anticipated north of Highways 401 and 407. The Niagara region will see 3–7 cm of snow.
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Wind gusts of 90+ km/h are expected in areas including Windsor, the Lake Erie shoreline, and across the Niagara Peninsula, with blowing snow and bursts of heavier snow in the GTA and beyond through Saturday morning.
Travellers in the GTA, Ottawa, and eastern Ontario should prepare for slowdowns and reduced visibility Friday afternoon into Saturday morning. Strong winds could lead to power outages in areas with above-ground lines.
Though some snow melt is expected, a drop to below-freezing temperatures overnight Friday will cause any remaining slush to freeze, potentially leading to icy conditions.
Closely eyeing a bigger system later this weekend
Looking ahead, we’ll see a brief break from the active weather on Saturday with below-seasonal temperatures. Forecasters will closely monitor the progress of a powerful weekend storm in the works, which could bring more impactful snow and rain to the region.
This powerful and messy storm has potential to severely impact northeastern and central Ontario Sunday and Monday with heavy snow—25-50 cm—from eastern Lake Superior to Moosonee.
This storm has the potential to close many roads across the region, including an extended stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway.