Depending on where you live in northern Ontario, you’ll need a shovel or an umbrella in the next few days.
Environment Canada meteorologist Trudy Kidd said there’s a line from Sault Ste Marie to Timiskaming Shores with snow expected on one side and rain on the other.
“Of course, we could see some freezing rain and ice pellets in there,” Kidd said.
“North of that line will be more snow. So some areas are going to see 20 to 30 cm of snow. South of that line will be more rain … possibly more freezing rain and less snow. And this will be at its worst throughout the day on Wednesday.”
Things are expected to taper off late Thursday, Kidd added.
Until then, she said driving could be hazardous and encouraged residents to stay off the roads if they are able.
In Sudbury, residents should expect sleet, snow and rain in the next few days. Residents are reminded that the city’s real-time snow plow status map is available on its website.
Real-time snow plow info
“We launched on Feb. 10, so just under a month, we’ve seen over 8,500 clicks to the site,” said Dan Thibeault, the city’s linear infrastructure manager.
“We are in the Top 10 trending pages on the city’s website, so that’s a very good response.”
Despite the quick thaw, local snowmobile clubs are excited about the snowfall.
“We had that big thaw over the Christmas period, which the southern part of the Sudbury district really suffered,” said Paul Helm, Capreol Ridge Riders president
“The northern half of the district, we still had snow after all that rain. So we got off to a little bit earlier start. And fortunately, there hasn’t been a real big thaw or rain since then and we’ve managed to go through. And, right now, the trails are as good as they’ve ever been.”
Helm is hoping riders will have more than a month of riding left.
“Two years ago, April Fool’s Day, we got 40 cm of snow,” he said, allowing them to keep riding until April 15.
“It’s kind of shaping up that way this year,” Helm added.
Kidd said this likely won’t be the last winter weather event the region receives before spring.
“We’re in early March right now and we all know that we see snow in April, even in May,” she said.
“So we definitely have more snowfall events on the way, more freezing rain events on the way, especially as the cold air starts mixing with the warm air. That’s when you see a lot of these precipitation-type issues that we get.”
