Winter’s Wrath: Brace for 30+ cm of Lake-Effect Snow Targeting Ontario!

This week, various systems along with the Great Lakes will collaborate to produce additional occurrences of snow throughout Ontario. Be ready for possible travel disruptions and worsening conditions, with the likelihood of 30-40+ cm of snow in some severely affected regions.

A stationary low pressure system over Lake Superior will result in substantial totals downwind of some of the Great Lakes. At the same time, a persistently low pressure area will hover over Lake Ontario until Tuesday, leading to intermittent unsettled weather.

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Prepare for slower, treacherous commutes this week, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), where lighter accumulation is anticipated.

Further snowfalls with travel disruptions anticipated this week

With the majority of the Great Lakes free from ice, the warmer surface waters continue to create instability needed to support low-pressure systems, keeping them marginally stationary.

The more forceful jet stream remains positioned further south, allowing Lake Superior to continue to inject heat and moisture into the air, causing the low to remain effectively anchored over the region into Monday. Snowfall will persist in northeastern, central, and eastern Ontario, with occasional flurries expected for the GTA.

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As frigid air wraps around the low system on Monday, lake-effect snow bands will be established for regions downwind of Georgian Bay from Midland to north of Parry Sound. This is where substantial snowfall totals in Ontario will occur, with locally up to 50 cm possible. A more widespread forecast indicates 15-30 cm of snow for most areas.