Widespread snow to bring another round of troubling commutes to Ontario
Another round of widespread snow looks to be the main culprit of difficult travel on Thursday across parts of southern and eastern Ontario
Southern Ontario will be dealing with another wintry blast this week, but looks to be spared the worst of the icy impacts.
Attached to this next weather-maker will be a 1,500-kilometre swath of freezing rain in the U.S., but thanks to the storm track, most of it will stay south of the Great Lakes Wednesday night and Thursday.
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While most of the freezing rain will avoid southern Ontario, some of it will nudge its way into southwestern sections that sit along Lake Erie shores. Meanwhile, the rest of southern Ontario can expect snowfall as the main precipitation type.
Stay up-to-date with the latest weather alerts in your area, and be sure to always check highway conditions before heading out.
Wednesday and Thursday: Travel troubles with ice and snow threat
The first of multiple storms is the result of a pattern that is leading to a surplus of available Arctic air, which is also pushing back on warm air to the south. As a result, the setup creates a favourable, active storm track for U.S.-based systems to move through.
The next system to watch will arrive Wednesday night and continue into Thursday, only to be followed by another low on the weekend.
The first of several storms in the coming days will move into southern Ontario by Wednesday overnight.
The storm will bring freezing rain to nearly 10 states, encompassing a 1,500-km stretch, with significant accretion and travel delays south of the border.
In Ontario, the areas that could see some of that icy mix will be Windsor and locales adjacent to the Lake Erie shorelines.
WATCH: Thursday morning commute to be impacted by snowy system
The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), snowbelt regions and the Highway 401 east corridor will likely stay on the cold side of the system during the Thursday morning commute, so snow can be expected during this time.
The snow is expected to wrap up across the GTHA through the afternoon, leading to a nicer evening commute.
Amounts won't be on the heavy side, with a widespread 2-5 cm anticipated for most areas. As much as 5-10 cm is possible for eastern Ontario communities after it arrives there by Thursday afternoon and evening, making for a slower evening commute.
The poor timing of the precipitation will certainly cause commuting troubles by early Thursday morning.
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Another threat of ice and snow this weekend will be something to watch
Beyond that, fair and colder conditions for Friday, but then a Colorado low is expected to track just south of the region on Saturday night with similar ice and snow risks, but there is a higher track uncertainty. This system will have slightly more moisture, which can lead to higher snowfall amounts than Thursday's system.
Colder-than-normal temperatures are expected to dominate next week and beyond. The pattern should stay active, but it is too early to know if that will mean substantial snow or if the storm track will be too far south of the region for much of the week.
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Stay tuned to The Weather Network for the latest forecast updates for Ontario.