Environment Canada is warning a large swath of southern Ontario, including Waterloo region and Wellington County, should prepare for a “major winter storm” that is expected to hit the area in the coming days and last throughout Christmas weekend.
On Thursday morning, Environment Canada updated its weather alert for the region and county and said the storm and blizzard could result in significant snowfall.
For Waterloo region and Southern Wellington County, snowfall amounts of 5 to 15 centimetres, potential flash freezing and damaging wind gusts of 90 to 110 kilometres per hour are expected.
For Mount Forest, Arthur, and Northern Wellington County, the agency says a crippling blizzard will come through the area over the weekend, have similar wind gusts, with 25 to 50 centimetres of snow expected by Sunday morning.
Wind chill is expected to bring temperatures down in the -20s for Waterloo-Wellington.
“Precipitation is expected to begin as rain or snow Thursday afternoon before transitioning to rain in many areas Thursday night. Temperatures are expected to plummet on Friday leading to a potential flash freeze,” the alert says. “Rapidly falling temperatures will be accompanied by strong to potentially damaging winds of 90 to 100 km/h along with snow, heavy at times. Blizzard-like conditions are possible Friday afternoon as the strong winds whip up the freshly fallen snow.”
Environment Canada is advising travel be avoided is possible.
The weather agency says extensive utility outages are possible, with temperatures Friday night into the weekend will likely be the coldest of the season to date.
WEATHER IN OTHER PARTS OF CANADA ALREADY CAUSING TRAVEL CHAOS
Large parts of B.C. and Alta. are currently under cold weather alerts, days after a snowstorm walloped the area, causing chaos for travellers.
The fierce winter storm that swept through western Canada is impacting those flying in and out of Waterloo region.
Debora Reid was stuck on the tarmac in Vancouver overnight after flying from Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF) on Monday night.
The B.C. resident was visiting family and friends in Ontario. She said she arrived in Vancouver at around 10:30 PST but didn’t get to the terminal until more than ten hours later.
“Surprisingly people had been quite positive with just a couple of little outbursts,” Reid told CTV News, while still on the tarmac. “Two hours in, they gave us all a little glass of water and that is all we’ve had over the last ten hours.”
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