Staff writers
February 23, 2012 — A low pressure system is set to sweep across southern Ontario Thursday and into Friday. Up to 15 cm of snow is expected in some areas.
A powerful low pressure system that's targeting the province could catch some drivers off guard Friday morning.
"There may be some light snow ahead of the storm on Thursday, but it should be a relatively mild and calm day," says Rob Davis a meteorologist at The Weather Network. "The morning drive on Friday however, is looking to be quite messy in southern Ontario."
The snow is expected to pick up at midnight and persist through the early morning hours on Friday.
"Between 4-9 am we could be seeing snow falling at the rate of a centimetre an hour and that could have an impact on the morning commute to work," warns Davis.
"Winds will be strong, temperatures will be cold so most of this precipitation will fall as straight snow in the Toronto area."
Snowfall totals expected through Friday
Up to 10 cm of snow is possible in the GTA, with locally higher amounts for areas further north.
"Toronto will very likely see its largest snowfall of the season so far," says Davis.
The last time the city saw 5 cm of snow was on February 18. Before that, just under 5 cm fell on January 30.
"And in both of these instances, the snow melted nearly immediately after because temperatures were so mild," says Davis.
The Hamilton/Niagara regions will see 7-10 cm of snow with this storm, while London and Kitchener-Waterloo areas could see up to 15 cm in total.
Regions just north of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario will likely see lower snowfall amounts as rain is expected to mix in. There is also the potential for brief periods of freezing rain in some areas.
The system will continue to push east through the day on Friday, affecting the evening commute in Ottawa and Montreal.
"Gusty winds will also be present across the region, so this will likely trigger localized reports of blowing and drifting snow," warns Davis.
As a result, motorists should adjust their driving habits accordingly.
The snow is expected to taper by Friday evening, but lake-effect snow may persist through Saturday.
Visit the Alerts section to get up-to-the minute information on weather warnings across the country.
In the Comments section at the bottom of this page, please keep us updated on how this storm will affect you Friday morning as well as the conditions you're seeing in your area.
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