Southern Ontario preparing for double-digit snowfall and things could get messy

It will be a rough day on the roads for drivers in southern Ontario, with up to 15 cm of snow in parts of the province and the potential for freezing rain to make for dangerously slick conditions.

Much of the province woke up on Tuesday to alerts and watches issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada, foreshadowing potentially challenging travel conditions.

A large area spanning the majority of southern and southwestern Ontario has been placed under a winter weather travel advisory by the government climate agency, warning of "locally heavy snowfall with total accumulations of 5 to 10 cm" and "peak snowfall rates of 1 to 2 cm per hour."

Snow will land in the region Tuesday morning, pummelling areas including Toronto, Hamilton and Niagara Falls with as much as 10 cm by the evening.

Toronto to be hit with 10 cm of snow. Are you worried? pic.twitter.com/DpaY3oKjQr

— blogTO (@blogTO) January 22, 2024

Environment Canada expects snow to continue throughout the day, before tapering to rain this evening.

With temperatures hovering at around the freezing mark across much of the region, ice pellets and freezing rain could complicate commutes.

A large area spanning from London to Windsor has been placed under a freezing rain warning for Tuesday morning, cautioning that "surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy and slippery," and that "ice build-up may cause tree branches to break."

EnviroCan warns motorists to "prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions," and possibly even "consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve."

The reprieve from bitter cold in the region is expected to last through the week.

However, anyone thinking that the worst of winter might be behind us might want to manage their expectations.

The Weather Network is forecasting a return of colder weather next week before another reprieve, but warns that "winter is not over."

"We are watching the potential for an extended stretch of colder winter weather from mid-February through early March," states the weather service, echoing a recent Farmers' Almanac spring forecast that predicts a turbulent start to the season.