Areas north of the GTA could get over 75cm of snow this weekend

On By Littum

Environment Canada is warning of snow showers in parts of Ontario north of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) this weekend, with more than 75 centimeters of snow accumulation possible in some areas.

The weather agency has issued snow flurry warnings for much of the cottage country, including Bracebridge, Haliburton, Owen Sound, Huntsville and Parry Sound.

The warnings say some areas could see maximum snowfall rates of up to 10 centimeters per hour, with local accumulations possibly over 75 centimeters by Sunday.

The agency says snow showers can cause weather conditions to vary, and changes from clear skies to heavy snow can happen within just a few kilometres.

It says heavy snow and blowing snow can lead to poor or zero visibility at times, with the possibility of power outages.

The agency says travel in these areas is expected to be “difficult to near impossible” during intense snowfall and advises those traveling to make emergency preparations.

Some GTA areas could see snow showers

Although the snow flurry warnings apply mainly to the north of the GTA, some areas of the region may be affected.

“Lake effect is affecting the snow band region over the next few days,” says weather specialist Denise Andreacchi on 680 NewsRadio.

“Although the GTA is not hitting the models directly, there is some uncertainty as to whether some of the storms will come close to areas of the GTA bordering these communities. So we could see more significant accumulation in the north Halton/Peel and north York/Durham regions.”

As for other areas of the GTA and Toronto, Andreacchi says light snow is possible Friday, Saturday and Sunday — anywhere from trace amounts up to three centimeters. She said the northern areas of the GTA could receive more accumulation on Saturday and Sunday.

Although daytime temperatures are expected to hover above freezing on these days, it will feel more like between -4 C to -7 C, with the possibility of wind gusts up to 50 km/h.

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