Another blast of snow could slow commute times in Ontario

Another blast of snow could slow commute times in Ontario

Andrea Bagley
Digital Reporter
Thursday, February 25, 2016, 6:24 AM - Thursday could be another day of difficult travel across Ontario as a moisture packed system departs the region.

"Expect snow flurries this morning for much of southern Ontario, though total accumulations should be well under 5 cm for most places," says meteorologist Brett Soderholm. "The tricky part will be the light snow combining with moderate winds from the north or northwest, potentially reducing visibility on the roads."

Icy road conditions have also been reported due to falling temperatures after Wednesday's messy mix of precipitation.


Winter storm warnings remain in place for northern regions including Sudbury and North Bay with an additional 5-10 cm expected through the day. That would bring total snowfall amounts of upwards of 30 cm is some places.

"Heavy snow and blowing snow causing very low visibility will result in dangerous winter travelling conditions," says Environment Canada in the warning issued early Thursday.

HYDRO CREWS WORK TO RESTORE POWER

A messy mix of snow, rain, freezing rain and ice pellets blasted the province Wednesday as temperatures hovered around the freezing mark. Some places saw less snow than forecast while others saw more freezing rain and ice accretion. Overall however, conditions deteriorated rapidly as the major storm moved through.

"As system like these are very close to the freezing mark, the types of precipitation can vary greatly and have several factors in not only forecasting the surface, but as well forecast what will happen above us in the atmosphere," explains meteorologist Matt Grinter.

The combination of heavy snow and ice resulted in power outages throughout the day and crews continue to work to restore thousands of customers.


"Winds are beginning to strengthen here in Acton. Lots of ice cracking off the trees and falling," said  Storm Hunter and meteorologist Mark Robinson in the thick of the storm Wednesday. "Everything's covered in ice and the fog is creeping in."

Some areas also saw localized flooding as sewers blocked up with snow and ice couldn't handle the heavy rain that followed.




ACTIVE PATTERN DOMINATES INTO EARLY MARCH

Winter and spring will continue to battle it out next week with a temperature roller-coaster expected into early March. "A rather sharp temperature gradient is expected across Ontario on Sunday with above seasonal air pushing into southwestern Ontario and Arctic air across northern and central Ontario," says  meteorologist Dr. Doug Gillham. A system will track along this boundary and at this point, it looks to stay north of the GTA bringing mostly rain to southern Ontario ending as a brief period of snow with no major accumulations.
"Snow is likely east of Lake Superior and Georgian Bay and then a very close call for Ottawa and Montreal," Gillham says.

Another system could hit southern Ontario late Wednesday or Thursday next week, impacting Atlantic Canada later in the week.

"The exact track and associated precipitation types and amounts will be a forecast challenge for many days to come," adds Gillham. "This certainly has the potential to be a messy and impactful systems for southern Ontario."

I just hope that power has been restored. Its been a tough winter this time around.