Winter Weather to Bring Snow, Freezing Rain and Cold Air to Southern Ontario

TORONTO (CP) – Ontario will receive its first dose of real winter weather Monday and cause headaches for commuters across the southern part of the province.

Rob Kuhn, severe weather meteorologist with Environment Canada, said drivers can expect a “nasty” morning commute with slippery roads and visibility problems thanks to steady snowfalls and freezing rain.

Environment Canada has issued snowfall and severe weather warnings across much of southern Ontario extending from Waterloo to Belleville. The forecast for most areas calls for 10 to 15 centimetres of snow mixed with ice pellets falling overnight and into Monday.

Freezing rain warnings have been issued for regions along Lake Erie (Windsor to Niagara Falls).

Residents of London, Sarnia, and the northern Niagara region can expect to see at least 10 centimetres of snow.

Temperatures are also expected to drop.

“Winter is here,” Kuhn said. “This system is passing just south of the Great Lakes and is bringing snow, ice pellets and freezing rain to a large part of southern Ontario.

“We’re going to stay at or below freezing now for the foreseeable future, which is actually what it should be like at this time of year. Usually when the cold air comes in, this is the time when it will stay.”

This newfound winter weather will have a higher than normal impact because most areas in Ontario have not experienced any significant snowfall this season, he said. “It’s going to be quite a change for everybody.”

Ontario has lagged well behind much of the rest of the country in terms of winter weather conditions.