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Colorado Low to Bring Significant Snowfall/Rainfall, Freezing Rain and Strong Wind Gusts to Ontario

Published: Tuesday, November 26, 2019 - 10:30PM

By Brennen Perry

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A Colorado Low is expected to move into the Great Lakes region early Wednesday morning. This will bring significant snowfall to parts of Northeastern Ontario and heavy rainfall & damaging wind gusts for Southern Ontario. There is also the risk of a fairly substantial freezing rain event through Northern sections of Central and Eastern Ontario.

As mentioned, the heaviest snowfall from this system will be contained in Northeastern Ontario just east of Lake Superior. Snowfall will begin around 6-8 am Wednesday with the biggest impacts being felt during the morning and afternoon hours. It will continue into the evening but will become a lot less intense as the system moves out to the east coast. When all the snow is done we could be looking at final accumulation ranging from 25-40cm in a zone that includes Chapleau, Gogama and Temiskaming Shores.

Accumulation surrounding this zone will still be significant with 20-30cm expected in areas like Elliot Lake, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury. Elsewhere, the snowfall gradient will be quite tight as you head south with more rain mixing in decreasing the expected accumulation substantially. Blowing snow and blizzard-like conditions are likely throughout Northeastern Ontario with winds gusting to 70-90km/h with the worst conditions around noon on Wednesday.

An area of freezing rain may develop from North Bay and southeastward towards the Bancroft area around 7-9 am on Wednesday. The freezing rain will continue into the afternoon giving the potential for 6-8 hours of freezing rain in the hardest-hit regions. Between 6-12mm of ice accretion is possible in a zone just north of Bancroft including Algonquin Park and Barry’s Bay. Outside of that zone, there’s a thin line extending from the northern Georgian Bay shoreline through North Bay and over to Bancroft that could see 2-6mm of ice accretion. Every other area will see minimal ice accretion from this storm.

Strong wind gusts will also be a big issue from this system and in particular along the Lake Erie shoreline. Wind gusts along the shoreline are likely to exceed 90km/h Wednesday morning and afternoon. Most of the impacts from the wind will be felt in areas further to the west including much of Southwestern Ontario and up in Northeastern Ontario near Lake Superior where wind gusts over 70-80km/h are expected. Winds will lighten later in the day on Wednesday.

For much of Southern Ontario, the predominant precipitation type will be heavy rainfall starting early Wednesday and lasting all day before transitioning over to wet flurries as temperatures plunge late in the evening. The highest rainfall accumulation is expected around Georgian Bay including Parry Sound, the Bruce Peninsula and parts of Manitoulin Island with between 30-50mm of accumulation. General rainfall amounts for most areas will range from 15-30mm with slightly less than 15mm around Lake Ontario and the Ottawa Valley.

We’ll continue to monitor this storm and make any updates as necessary.

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