20-30+ cm of snow with Sunday storm in Ontario, along with dangerous cold
Prepare for significant snowfall totals in parts of southern Ontario this weekend as a major winter storm grazes the region
A major winter storm brewing south of the border could bring some hefty snowfall totals to southern Ontario this weekend.
The northern edge of that stateside system will graze southern Ontario on Sunday, bringing heavy snow to the region. Lake enhancement could beef up accumulations around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), with 20-30 cm certainly not out of the question. The cold temperatures will produce fluffy snow that accumulates rapidly, making it challenging for plows to keep up.
Prepare for highway and airport delays if you’re planning to travel this weekend.
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Stay alert as major storm threatens 20+ cm of snow Sunday
A significant winter storm will target more than 160 million Americans this weekend with heavy snowfall and a potentially destructive ice storm.
This slug of moisture will trek northeast toward the Mid-Atlantic states and eventually slide off the eastern seaboard.
Confidence is building that this storm will swipe southern Ontario with disruptive snows this weekend as rich moisture from the south interacts with Arctic air locked over the Great Lakes.
Low temperatures Friday night and into Saturday morning are expected to drop into the -20s across areas south and west of Toronto. Regions to the north and northeast of Toronto will see even colder conditions, with temperatures plunging into the -30s. Some locations could approach -40, creating frigid and dangerous conditions.
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Snowfall could begin as early as Saturday night and continue through the day Sunday, potentially persisting into Monday morning.
We could see lake-enhanced snowsqualls develop off Lake Ontario overnight Saturday into Sunday morning before the main storm arrives.
Depending on how the winds align over Lake Ontario, these snowsqualls could target Toronto and surrounding areas for several hours before the main event.
A widespread swath of 10-20+ cm of snow isn’t out of the question for many areas that just received 20-40 cm of snow about a week ago. This will include much of the Golden Horseshoe, QEW, 401, 404, and 407 series highways.
Underneath the snow bands will bring the heaviest impact, with 25-30+ cm possible and complete whiteouts in affected areas.
North of the 407, 10-20 cm is forecast including London, Barrie and east to Ottawa.
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Any snow that falls during this system will stick around with temperatures solidly below the freezing mark through the end of the month.
Next week will bring frigid conditions with high temperatures mainly in the minus teens and lows mostly in the -20s. Colder-than-normal temperatures are anticipated to persist into the first few days of February. A return to seasonal temperatures is expected around February 5, but a shift back to colder-than-normal conditions is possible by mid-February.
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Stay with The Weather Network for all the latest on conditions across Ontario.