ontario weather

Spring storm about to hit Ontario with heavy rains and up to 30 cm of snow

Mother Nature may have neglected to give Toronto a proper winter this year, but it appears she's making up for it with some unexpected blasts of cold and snow to kick off spring.

Following the squalls that blew into the region the week before last, more messy wintry conditions are on the way for Ontario, with a mix of heavy rains, fierce winds and snowfall.

Toronto is among the parts of the province placed under a weather statement in effect as of Tuesday afternoon, with Environment Canada warning of 25-50 mm of rain and blustery gales tonight and tomorrow.

"A Colorado low is expected to begin affecting the region tonight. Rain, which may be heavy at times, is expected to begin this evening and continue into Wednesday. Rain should transition to snow late Wednesday as temperatures cool, although significant amounts are not expected," the government agency writes.

"Very strong easterly winds with gusts possibly exceeding 80 km/h in some locales are likely tonight. The winds will ease on Wednesday."

While the winds will ease mid-week, the snow will not, with forecasts calling for continued snow flurries and/or rain on both Thursday and Friday all across Southern Ontario.

The Weather Network writes that thunderstorms are also in the cards, as are further travel advisories and even power outages due to the high winds and heavy, wet precipitation.

Toronto is set to see some of the heaviest of the rains in particular, with a potential of 40-60 mm from Tuesday night to Thursdsay. Cottage country and eastern Ontario, meanwhile, will see the worst of the snow, with some places getting a whopping 30 cm more than two weeks into spring.

"For some areas of Ontario, this will be a long-duration snowfall that'll unfold through much of Wednesday and Thursday," TWN notes in its latest update on Tuesday.

Thankfully, by the weekend, we'll be back to early patio weather with temperatures reaching above seasonal levels.

Lead photo by

Roy Harris/Shutterstock


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