Southern Ontario weekend weather: Two lows to bring wind, cold and white out threats
theweathernetwork.com
Thursday, January 23, 2014, 8:06 PM -
Numerous collisions were reported across the Greater Toronto Area Thursday morning, and authorities are expecting more weather-related fender benders in southern Ontario this weekend.
Between 5-10 cm of snow is expected in some places, with locally higher amounts possible. While the snowfall amounts are not extreme, it will be the winds that increase the threat for whiteouts, especially over open areas.
The freshly fallen snow, combined with windy gusts, could result in dangerous driving conditions and reduced visibility on the road.
Conditions are expected to deteriorate by Friday evening and overnight across the southern Ontario, the first of two surface lows impacting the region.
"Snow will increase and so will the winds," says Weather Network meteorologist Gina Ressler. "We could see sustained winds of 50 km/h, with gusts 80 to 90 km/h Friday night."
Drivers are being urged to adjust their travel plans accordingly and continue to monitor weather and road conditions.
East of Lake Huron, blowing snow warnings are in effect and Georgian Bay, where "widespread" blowing snow is expected as early as Friday afternoon.
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Ahead of the lows, Environment Canada issued wind chill warnings for a swath of southern Ontario, including Toronto, Niagara, Hamilton, Waterloo, Barrie and Perth.
Conditions are expected to be chilly Thursday night into Friday morning.
"The combination of cold temperatures and moderate southwest winds are expected to generate wind chill values in the -30 to -35 range," EC says in a statement.
Residents are encouraged to exercise caution when heading outdoors. Frost bite can occur on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.
The good news is that temperatures are expected to warm up with a daytime high of -3°C expected Saturday.
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MORE SNOW SUNDAY
Another surge of moisture could bring an additional 3-6 cm of snow to some areas on Sunday as the second surface low moves in.
"Snow will move in Sunday mid-day and continue overnight into early Monday morning," says Weather Network meteorologist Dayna Vettese.
Winds will gust between 40 and 60 km/h through Sunday.
"So by Monday, it's safe to say much of the GTA will have picked up at least 10 cm of snow this weekend," adds Doug Gillham, another meteorologist at The Weather Network.
READ ON: IDENTIFYING AND PREVENTING FROSTBITE
