Trio of winter storms bring messy impacts to millions across Canada
It's been a busy week across Canada as three separate winter storms move through the country, impacting millions.
A triad of winter storms has brought triple trouble to Canada this week, bringing whiteout conditions to the Prairies and freezing rain to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and parts of southern Ontario, as well as up to 50 cm of snow to eastern Newfoundland.
Winter made its return to the Prairies this week, turning roads into snow-covered obstacles that prompted widespread school bus cancellations and school closures.
An Arctic air mass collided with Pacific moisture, causing heavy snowfall, strong winds, and plummeting temperatures. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued widespread snowfall warnings and blowing snow advisories across the Prairies Tuesday, which have persisted through Wednesday for Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Forecasters also kept a close eye out for blizzard conditions across central Alberta early Tuesday due to the heavy snow and strong winds.
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Further east, in southern Ontario, warmer temperatures resulted in a messy mix of precipitation across the region on Wednesday. South of the GTA, folks had to contend with persistent rainfall melting snowpacks, raising the risk of localized flooding.
The GTA itself, as well as major highways and cities east of the area, faced a prolonged freezing rain event, with 5-15+ mm of ice accretion forecast throughout the Highway 401 corridor. The icy weather prompted many school boards to cancel buses Wednesday morning, although four students were sent to the hospital with minor injuries near Woodstock, Ont., after a full school bus slid off the road. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Ontario Provincial Police had reported to 160 collisions across the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area (GTHA).
North of the GTA, 15-25 cm of snowfall was forecast for areas east of Georgian Bay.
On the East Coast, heavy snowfall began over eastern Newfoundland Wednesday morning, with rates of three to five centimetres per hour and winds of 60 to 80 kilometres per hour, resulting in near-blizzard conditions and severely reduced visibility.
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Officials advised residents to avoid unnecessary travel during the heaviest snowfall. As the storm moved across the Avalon Peninsula on Wednesday morning, St. John's had already received 24 centimetres. The heavy snow also caused widespread power outages and closures.
See below for social media posts showcasing the impacts across Canada from these storms.
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Thumbnail credit to James Stamoulakatos.