Parts of southern Ontario digging out of 70 cm of snow, another major storm on the way

Monday, November 25, 2013, 12:20 PM -

People in parts of southwestern Ontario are digging out after persistent snow squalls blasted the region over the weekend.

"Persistent snow squalls from Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning resulted in significant snowfall totals in a narrow band extending off of southern Lake Huron, from around St. Joseph (just east of Grand Bend) southeastward through the west part of London," says Environment Canada in their statement. "While this narrow band of snow did not affect any official Environment Canada weather monitoring stations, unofficial reports received from the public suggest that up to 70 cm of snow feel in the hardest parts of this corridor."

The conditions were just right for all the wrong driving conditions.

Major shutdowns due to collisions involving dozens of vehicles were recorded on the 400 south of Barrie and the 401 east of London on Saturday, and on Sunday a section of the 401 at Highway 4 was closed as of late morning.

Even in the early morning hours on Sunday, the London area was still getting hammered by the snow and powerful winds, and near-white out conditions were still visible on 401 traffic cams near the city.

Snow squall warnings were still in effect for parts of the southwest on Sunday morning, although snow squall watches that covered part of the Greater Toronto Area had been dropped.

The contrast was striking: Although London, Waterloo and many other southwestern communities reported snowfall worthy of any winter storm, Toronto, Mississauga and other near-lakeshore GTA communities recorded only trace amounts.

As the day wore on, however, no part of the province escaped the blistering cold, thanks to a blast of Arctic air made much, much worse by those same strong winds that made for such terrible driving conditions.

For the 1st time in 8 years a record low temperature has been set at Pearson Airport...unofficially -12.3C; Buttonville -13.6C also a record

— Doug Gillham (@gtaweather1) November 24, 2013

More snow on the way

As residents dig out from the weekend's winter blast, another weak system pushing into the region could bring an additional 5-10 cm of snow to parts of the southwest through Tuesday. 

"Some wet flurries are also possible in parts of the GTA on Monday, and that may even transition into light accumulating snow by Monday evening," says Monica Vaswani, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.

The heaviest snowfall amounts are expected for areas further north, with up to 15 cm possible in places like Parry Sound.

TUNE IN: We'll keep an eye on the skies as the system approaches. Check in for regular TV updates.

Mid-week storm

The wintry weather doesn't end there.

"A low currently forming the Gulf of Mexico will start pushing into parts of Ontario and Quebec Tuesday night," says Gina Ressler, another meteorologist at The Weather. "While the exact track and precipitation amounts associated with this system are still uncertain, parts of eastern Ontario and Quebec could see a significant amount of snow."

The precipitation may begin as snow in parts of the Maritimes as well on Tuesday, before transitioning over to heavy rain through the day on Wednesday.