Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for all of southern Ontario, including the greater Kawarthas region, for a “significant” winter storm expected later this week and into the holiday weekend.
Precipitation may begin as rain or snow late Thursday (December 22) before possibly transitioning to rain in many areas early Friday.
Temperatures are expected to plummet on Friday, leading to a potential flash freeze for locations that received rainfall. Rapidly falling temperatures will be accompanied by strong to potentially damaging winds, along with snow that may be heavy at times.
Environment Canada says temperatures on Friday night into the weekend will likely be the coldest of the season to date.
Blizzard conditions are possible late Friday into the weekend for areas downwind of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. For locations east of the Great Lakes, a “multi-day lake effect snow event” is expected into the weekend in the wake of the system.
“While there is high confidence in a high impact winter storm, the details regarding wind speeds, precipitation types, and amounts remain highly uncertain at this time,” Environment Canada states. “Please monitor your local forecast and the latest alerts for your area.”
Environment Canada is suggesting people consider altering travel plans through the holiday weekend as conditions may become dangerous.
Extensive utility outages are also possible.
