A massive, powerful storm is expected to hit southwestern Ontario this weekend, bringing with it a week of sub-zero temperatures.
Environment Canada says that the weather system, which is moving in a northeast direction from the U.S., will first head into the Great Lakes region where it will bring strong winds and heavy snow to parts of the Golden Horseshoe area late Friday night and into Saturday morning.
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The weak, but still fast-moving, low-pressure system is set to hit southern Ontario on Thursday leading up to the storm. It is expected to bring a couple of centimetres of snow and winds up to 19 km/h.
Come Friday, there’ll be more snow with winds gusting up to 60 km/h in the GTA.
The storm is expected to continue into Saturday, bringing scattered flurries and wind gusts up to 59 km/h.
CP24’s Meteorologist Bill Coulter said the snow may mix with showers along Lake Ontario, which could “keep accumulations on the lower end of the spectrum for accumulation.” He said that residents should expect 10 to 20 cetimetres across much of the GTA and five to 10 in the areas closer to Lake Ontario.
By Sunday, the snow will have stopped, but the cloudy day with sunny breaks will drop to temperatures as low as -6 C.
“While there is still some uncertainty on the exact track of the system and mix of precipitation, all models are in agreement that this storm is a game changer for temperature,” Coulter said.
“It stands as the floodgates, behind which bitterly cold air will spill into the region for Sunday and much of the next workweek. We’ll have to bundle up for the coldest weather yet of this cold weather season after this early weekend blast of snow and mix.”
