Ontario's Weather Forecast Is Calling For Up To 25 cm Of Snow & Police Are Warning Drivers
"It's a good time to assemble emergency kits for your home and vehicle."
Car on snowy road.
Ontario's weather forecast is not looking merry and bright this week.
Most of southern Ontario has been placed under a special weather alert by Environment Canada, and some areas are expecting up to 25 centimetres of snow by the weekend.
EC is warning of heavy snowfalls starting Thursday and lasting into Friday, with icy roads and gusting winds that may cause local power outages and throw objects into the air.
Ice pellets and freezing rain may come down briefly in some areas on Thursday, so if you're planning on travelling you may want to rethink your plans or take it slow on the road.
15 to 25 centimetres of snow is expected to fall in areas like Bancroft to Bon Echo Park, Brockville to Leeds and Grenville, Ottawa, Cornwall to Morrisburg, Prescott and Russell.
While other areas will face lighter snowfalls but icier and windier conditions with wind gusts up to 80 kilometres per hour in areas like Hamilton, Dufferin to Innisfil, Elgin, Huron to Perth, London to Middlesex, Oxford to Brant, Sarnia to Lambton, Simcoe to Delhi and Norfolk, Waterloo to Wellington, Windsor to Essex and Chatham-Kent.
In Toronto, residents can expect 10 to 15 centimetres of snow, wind gusts up to 70 kilometres per hour, and possibly freezing rain.
Toronto Mayor John Tory said the city has 1,100 pieces of equipment prepped and ready to deal with the snowstorm.
"This will be a good test because it's not supposed to be the armageddon snowfall we had last year, but it's supposed to be significant enough that it will be a good test, but I think we're ready,' said Tory in a press conference.
EC is warning of 'Hazardous travel conditions" and is recommending people postpone none essential travel.
Northern Ontario can expect similar conditions, with areas south of Thunder Bay expecting 20 to 40 cm of snow starting Wednesday through Friday, according to EC.
OPP West Region has also issued a winter driving advisory on Twitter and is asking drivers to give themselves extra travel time to deal with wintry road conditions.
\u201c*WINTER DRIVING ADVISORY* @environmentca has issued a special weather statement for most of West Region tomorrow, with for the potential for freezing rain, snow and strong winds in the forecast. Give yourself some extra travel time and drive to the conditions. #Roadsafety ^dr\u201d— OPP West Region (@OPP West Region) 1671008402
South Simcoe Police has also issued a warning for "heavy blowing snow" on Twitter.
\u201cGood morning @townofinnisfil @TownofBWG! Special Weather Statement issued for heavy snow and blowing snow Thursday afternoon through Thursday night. \nIf you haven't already, it's a good time to assemble emergency kits for your home and vehicle. #BePrepared #Snow\u201d— South Simcoe Police (@South Simcoe Police) 1671015860
"If you haven't already, it's a good time to assemble emergency kits for your home and vehicle," reads the tweet.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
- Ontario's 2022 Winter Weather Forecast Is Here & You're Gonna Need A Bigger Snow Shovel ›
- Ontario Weather - Narcity - Montréal ›
- Ontario's Weather Forecast Calls For A 'Major Winter Storm' This Week & It'll Be No Fun ›
- Ontario’s Weather Forecast Has A Big Snow Storm In Store For Today With Freezing Rain - Narcity ›
- Ontario’s Weather Forecast Has A Big Snow Storm In Store For Today With Freezing Rain - Narcity ›
- Ontario Drivers Couldn't Handle Yesterday's Snow Storm & More Is On The Way (VIDEOS) - Narcity ›
- 6 Videos Of Ontario's Wild Snowstorm That Will Make You Want To Stay Inside For Good - Narcity ›