Potent Ontario storm likely to disrupt travel with wintry cocktail
With spring only a few weeks away, winter isn't showing any signs of an early departure across southern Ontario. Get ready for another high-impact winter storm to begin the final week of the month.
This forecast will sound like a bit of a repeat after the disruptive storm that swept across the province last week. Much like that last storm, we’ll see widespread snow, ice, and rain arrive Monday evening and last into Tuesday for some areas.
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However, a smaller area will face the threat for impactful ice this time around and total snowfall accumulations will be lower than the last Colorado low.
Special weather statements are in effect for much of southern Ontario ahead of this messy setup.
A boisterous Colorado low will push into the Great Lakes on Monday, with precipitation spilling over southern Ontario late afternoon. It’s one of those setups where the morning commute will likely be fine for everyone, but the Monday evening commute will be an absolute mess for some as untreated surfaces may become icy and slippery.
Snow will fall on the northern side of the system, with a cumbersome mix of snow, ice pellets, freezing rain, and the focus of rain along the shores of Lake Erie.
As warmer air moves in aloft, we'll see a transition to ice pellets and patchy freezing rain southwest of the Greater Toronto Area, but not before the aforementioned region records between 5-10 cm of snowfall.
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Cottage country and eastern Ontario stand to witness the heaviest snowfall, with most areas reaching close to 10 cm of snowfall, with around 15 cm falling across the Ottawa area.
Gusty winds up to 70 km/h will result in reduced visibility on the roadways around the GTA Monday evening, so motorists should expect difficult winter-driving conditions. They will need to adjust travel plans accordingly. Local power outages are also possible.
“Winter weather travel advisories may be required as the event draws nearer,” Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) said in its special weather statement.
The greatest chance for light ice accretion from freezing rain will fall along parts of the Niagara Escarpment, stretching from Kincardine to Chatham and east toward the Hamilton area.
Although conditions will improve across the southwest on Tuesday, heavy snowfall will continue affecting Ottawa and eastern Ontario.
Continue checking in with The Weather Network for more details on where these precipitation divides will set up and how this storm will affect Ontario to begin the work week.
