Intense snow squalls could produce 30 cm in Ontario
Digital Reporter
Monday, January 11, 2016, 9:33 AM - Winter has returned with a vengeance giving Ontarians a week's worth of intense and potentially dangerous weather conditions.
Widespread snow squall watches and warnings were issued on Sunday and are expected to persist throughout the day on Monday for areas north of the Greater Toronto Area and also east towards Gananoque. Places like Barrie, Orillia and Midland are included in the warning as well as York-Durham, Waterloo and Brockville.
"The most intense snow bands could produce local snowfall amounts of 20 to 30 cm per 12 hours along with near zero visibilities in heavy snow and blowing snow," says Environment Canada in the warning.
Drivers are being urged to adjust travel plans and to prepare for possible road closures.
"Snow squalls cause weather conditions to vary considerably; changes from clear skies to heavy snow within just a few kilometres are common," EC warns.
Wet surfaces and plunging temperatures (wind chill near -20) could also result in slick driving conditions Monday.
A wind warning covered Picton and Sandbanks Park early Monday with the risk for strong gusts up to 90 km/h possible.
"Loose objects may be tossed by the wind and cause injury or damage," EC says. "Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions due to high winds."
STORMY SUNDAY
Conditions across the province deteriorated quickly on Sunday as rain fell, temperatures plunged and winds picked up throughout the day. Any accumulating water that fell as rain began to freeze as the temperatures dropped to near zero late Sunday afternoon.
Hydro One reported 129 outages, impacting close to 40,000 customers throughout the day. By Monday morning, nearly 10,000 were still without power.
Multiple collisions were also reported further north as heavy snow significantly reduced visibility.
Meteorologist and Storm Hunter Mark Robinson described the snowfall rate as "incredible" in Owen Sound on Sunday night.
"Snow is falling at a tremendous rate here in Owen Sound. Full whiteout conditions," Robinson tweeted.
Stopped the car for a second to show everyone how insane the conditions are out here. Heading to Owen sound... https://t.co/tWitWyAblT
— Mark Robinson (@StormhunterTWN) January 11, 2016
Incredible snowfall rate here in Owen Sound in the heart of the squall. #onstorm @weathernetwork, @jwhittalTWN https://t.co/41eInzMB7M
— Mark Robinson (@StormhunterTWN) January 11, 2016
TUESDAY'S STORM COMING FROM THE NORTH POLE
As opposed to this weekend’s mix of rain and snow in southern Ontario, Tuesday’s storm will be all snow.
"This storm does look to have a significant impact on the Tuesday commute across southern Ontario including the GTA," says Chris Scott, chief meteorologist at The Weather Network.
Get the full analysis and timing on Tuesday's storm here.
An unsettled weather pattern will continue across the province throughout the week, with more snow and frigid temperatures on tap.
Stay up-to-date on the outages and closures in your area with this detailed list below:
Outages
- All power utilities
- Enwin (Windsor)
- Enersource (Mississauga)
- Burlington hydro
- Guelph Hydro
- Hydro One
- Hydro Ottawa
- Utilities Kingston
- KW Hydro
- London Hydro
- Milton Hydro
- Niagara Power
- North Bay Hydro
- Oakville Hydro
- Sudbury
- Thunder Bay Hydro
- Toronto Hydro
- Waterloo North Hydro
Schools and Universities
Search all Ontario school boards here
Search all Ontario Universities here
Highway conditions
Airports
- Toronto Pearson
- Toronto Island
- Ottawa
- London
- Waterloo Region
- Windsor
- Kingston
- Hamilton
- Sudbury
- Timmins
- Sault Ste. Marie
- North Bay
- Thunder Bay
Tune in to The Weather Network on TV and check back here for more updates
WATCH BELOW: The science behind flash freeze