Current details:
Multi-day lake effect snow squall event beginning this evening.
Hazards:
Locally heavy snowfall with accumulations possibly exceeding 30 cm by Friday night.
Peak snowfall rates of 5 to 10 cm per hour.
Very poor visibility at times in heavy snow and local blowing snow.
Isolated power outages due to heavy, wet snow.
Additional locally heavy snowfall through the weekend.
Timing:
Beginning this evening and ending Sunday morning.
Discussion:
Lake effect snow off of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay today will strengthen into a very intense snow squall band this evening. This band may extend well inland towards Haliburton and produce high snowfall rates, especially on Friday. The band may briefly shift south of the area Friday night but is expected to move back north into the area on Saturday.
As is common with snow squalls, snowfall amounts will be highly variable. Some areas may receive well in excess of 50 cm by Sunday.
Snow squalls cause weather conditions to vary considerably; changes from clear skies to heavy snow within just a few kilometres are common. Travel is expected to be extremely hazardous due to reduced visibility. Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow. Road closures are possible.
Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to ONstorm@ec.gc.ca or tweet reports using #ONStorm.