A fast-moving violent thunderstorm which may have spawned a tornado has cut power to thousands of homes and businesses in southwestern and southern Ontario.
Environment Canada had issued a tornado warning for Hamilton at about 1:30 a.m., which prompted Emergency Management Ontario to issue a "red alert" for the area. People were advised to immediately move indoors and away from doors and windows.
There has been no confirmation of a tornado strike, but Environment Canada meteorologist Rosemary Tabory said two spotters reported "there was a possibility" of a tornado touching down.
"One was on the north side of Hamilton, the other was on Hamilton Mountain West," said Tabory.
She said Environment Canada crews would likely head out in the morning to check for any signs of a tornado.
Environment Canada said the line of severe thunderstorms moved through the region with wind gusts of up to 90 kilometres an hour.
The storm travelled from the Kinkardine area in the north through the Hamilton and Niagara region and Tabory says some damage is reported.
"We’ve had spotters report flooding and report some trees down."
Hydro One said the thunderstorms and strong winds left more than 23,700 customers without electricity.
They included more than 10,000 homes and businesses from Wiarton to Kincardine and east to Dundalk. Another 6,834 homes and business in the Guelph area were affected. Tabory said the fast-moving storm was almost all out of Ontario by about 3 a.m. and heading into the United States.
Once the rain starts to fall again this week, it’s going to fall hard -- as much as 30 mm, according to Environment Canada.
Though nowhere near as extreme — or as destructive — as the storms in the tornado-ravaged central and Southern U.S., Ontario will catch wind of the same weather system.
“There is a weather system that is coming our way, but people shouldn’t dive under the bed in fear,” said Dave Phillips, senior climatologist at Environment Canada.
“Weather systems move across the continent, and what we’re going to see is a low-pressure weather system with a warm front that will come through this evening. It’s related to that system that’s causing some problems down [in the U.S.], but it’s not the same volatility, it’s not the same extreme, not the same severity as what they’re seeing at all.”
The American National Weather Service is warning that several U.S. states are still at high risk for furious weather, with storms possible from Louisiana northeast to the Ohio Valley.
Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri are all under “conditions favourable to the development of long-lived, rotating thunderstorms that could produce strong, fast-moving tornadoes,” according to the storm prediction centre’s website. A massive tornado in Joplin, Missouri, killed 122 people Sunday.
There is a risk of thunderstorms in southern Ontario beginning Wednesday night, spreading to eastern Ontario by Thursday morning.
But far from twisters, the main threat is hail, downpours and gusting winds, Phillips said. He added that though it might feel that way, we are nowhere near record-breaking rainfall this spring.
“It’s been a wet spring, but we’ve got a long ways to go to break a record,” Phillips said.
The skies will finally clear by the weekend, with temperatures around 27ºC, well above normal, or what Phillips called a “glorious piece of good news” for the growing season.
Massive waves caused by high winds splash up against Toronto's lakeshore. (Chris So/TORONTO STAR)
Strong winds across the region are being blamed for bringing down hydro wires, tossing boaters into the water, blowing around bricks, closing highways and killing at least one person.
Niagara Police announced Thursday afternoon that they have been bombarded with calls due to the high winds.
One of the calls was about the death of man from Grimsby in his 70s. The man was walking around on his property on South Grimsby Rd. around 8 a.m. when a burst of wind caught a steel garage door that was leaning against a shed nearby.The man was struck by the flying door and died.
Much of southern Ontario, including the GTA, was put under a wind warning on Thursday morning. Environment Canada called for wind gusts up to 100 km/h in the worst areas.
The warning ended for the GTA around 1 p.m. By late afternoon, wind speeds were down to 30 km/h with occasional gusts up to 50 km/h, Environment Canada meteorologist Peter Kimbell said.
There were no reports of any tornados in the region, he added.
The winds, which have been howling in Toronto since early in the morning when thunderstorms rolled through the city, pulled down a number of hydro wires.
Around 9:30 a.m., Toronto Fire was responding to eight calls for wires down all over the city.
The Toronto District School Board has also issued an alert to parents, informing them that several schools are without power.
Whitney Public School, near Mt. Pleasant Rd. and St. Clair Ave. E., has had to cancel classes because of the weather.
Students aren’t the only people left without power Thursday. Toronto Hydro was reporting more than 30 power outages stretching across the city from Rexdale to Morningside Heights at around 11:30 a.m.
The area just east of the Humber River, starting at Lake Ontario going all the way up to Eglinton Ave. W., may have up to 5,000 people without power.
The violent winds have also crumbled at least one building in Toronto and closed down some roads across the province.
Police have had to shut down a section of Bloor St. between Dovercourt Rd. and Dufferin St. after responding to a crumbling building. A number of loose bricks flew off the top of the building, which is near Havelock St., around 11 a.m.
Police have confirmed that no one was injured when the debris fell but inspectors have been called in to access the integrity of the rest of the building.
Earlier in the morning, the Ontario Provincial Police closed down the Burlington Skyway — in both directions — because of the strong winds.
The closure lasted for almost four hours. It re-opened around 12:45 p.m. Around 11:30 a.m., the OPP also closed Highway 405 at the Lewiston-Queenston bridge in both directions.
Meanwhile, emergency officials in Hamilton rescued up to 100 students who were rowing in Burlington Bay in the blustery weather.
All of the rowers have been accounted for and only few students were taken to hospital for mild hypothermia.
Closer to London, the Western headquarters of the OPP released a report discouraging people from driving in the winds.
“OPP have responded to numerous reports of downed hydro lines, fallen trees and flooding,” said the release.
“Some areas close to Lake Erie are experiencing flooding as waves continue to pound the shore and in some cases even crest break-walls.”
Despite the stormy weather as of late, it doesn’t appear that Toronto will break any rainfall records for April.
The wettest April on record is from 1992 when 133.8 mm of rain fell during the month.
So far, the city of Toronto has only recorded 92 mm of rain at Environment Canada’s Pearson Airport station, said senior climatologist Dave Phillips.
He added that the total does not include five hours of rain the city has seen on Thursday morning. But the rain is expected to taper off during Thursday and there is only a 30 per cent chance of showers on Friday.
“I think we may reach the 100 mark,” said Phillips.
“But I don’t think we’re going to get much over it.”
That is not to say, April hasn’t been a damp and dark month. “It’s been a depressing month,” said Phillips.
“I’ve been telling people it’s not the election, it’s not because it’s tax month -- it’s the weather!”
Toronto has only seen a total of 119 hours of sunshine for the entire month of April, which is significantly below the normal of 197 hours.
Only three of the last 14 days have been precipitation-free. As it stands now, there may be one more day of sunshine left for April. Environment Canada is forecasting sunny skies and a high of 17 C for Saturday, the last day of the month.
-- Madeleine White, Staff Reporter
High winds and big waves take control of the waterfront near Ontario Place on April 28 2011. VINCE TALOTTA/TORONTO STAR
Lightning streaks above Cornith Baptist Church in Athens, Ga., as a line of severe thunderstorms sweep across Georgia in the early morning on Thursday, April 28, 2011.(AP Photo/ Athens Banner-Herald, David Manning)
PLEASANT GROVE, Ala. — Dozens of tornadoes ripped through the South, flattening homes and businesses and killing at least 269 people in six states in the deadliest outbreak in nearly 40 years.
As day broke Thursday, people in hard-hit Alabama surveyed flattened, debris-strewn neighborhoods and told of pulling bodies from rubble after the storms passed Wednesday afternoon and evening.
"It happened so fast it was unbelievable," said Jerry Stewart, a 63-year-old retired firefighter who was picking through the remains of his son's wrecked home in Pleasant Grove, a suburb of Birmingham. "They said the storm was in Tuscaloosa and it would be here in 15 minutes. And before I knew it, it was here."
He and his wife, along with their daughter and two grandchildren, survived by hiding under their front porch. Friends down the street who did the same weren't so lucky — Stewart said he pulled out the bodies of two neighbors whose home was ripped off its foundation.
Alabama's state emergency management agency said it had confirmed 162 deaths, while there were 32 in Mississippi, 32 in Tennessee, 13 in Georgia, eight in Virginia and one in Kentucky.
President Barack Obama said he would travel to Alabama on Friday to view storm damage and meet with the governor and affected families.
The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said it received 137 tornado reports into Wednesday night.
Some of the worst damage was in Tuscaloosa, a city of more than 83,000 that is home to the University of Alabama. Neighborhoods there were leveled by a massive tornado caught on video by a tower-mounted news camera that barreled through late Wednesday afternoon.
"When I looked back, I just saw trees and stuff coming by," said Mike Whitt, a resident at DCH Regional Medical Center who ran from the hospital's parking deck when the wind started swirling and he heard a roar.
On Thursday morning, he walked through the neighborhood next to the hospital, home to a mix of students and townspeople, looking at dozens of homes without roofs. Household items were scattered on the ground — a drum, running shoes, insulation, towels, and a shampoo bottle. Streets were impassable, the pavement strewn with trees, pieces of houses and cars with their windows blown out.
Dr. David Hinson was working at the hospital when the tornado hit. He and his wife had to walk several blocks to get to their house, which was destroyed. Several houses down, he helped pull three students from the rubble. One was dead and two were badly injured. He and others used pieces of debris as makeshift stretchers to carry them to an ambulance.
"We just did the best we could to get them out and get them stabilized and get them to help," he said. "I don't know what happened to them."
Back from an aerial tour Thursday morning, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter Maddox said the tornado tore a streak as many as 4 miles long and a half-mile wide of "utter destruction." There are at least 36 people dead in the city's police jurisdiction, and searches continue for the missing.
"We have neighborhoods that have been basically removed from the map," he said.
Because the city's emergency management building was destroyed, authorities are using Bryant-Denny Stadium at the University of Alabama as a command post.
University officials said there didn't appear to be significant damage on campus, and dozens of students and locals were staying at a 125-bed shelter in the campus recreation center.
The storm system spread destruction from Texas to New York, where dozens of roads were flooded or washed out. The governors of Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia issued emergency declarations for parts of their states.
Dave Imy, a meteorologist with the prediction service, said the deaths were the most since a tornado outbreak killed 315 people in 1974.
In Alabama, where as many as a million people were without power, Gov. Robert Bentley said 2,000 national guard troops had been activated and were helping to search devastated areas for people still missing. He said the National Weather Service and forecasters did a good job of alerting people, but there is only so much that can be done to deal with powerful tornadoes a kilometre wide.
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Obama said he had spoken with Bentley and approved his request for emergency federal assistance.
"Our hearts go out to all those who have been affected by this devastation, and we commend the heroic efforts of those who have been working tirelessly to respond to this disaster," Obama said in a statement.
The storms came on the heels of another system that killed 10 people in Arkansas and one in Mississippi earlier this week. Less than two weeks earlier, a smaller batch of twisters raced through Alabama, touching off warning sirens, damaging businesses and downing power lines in Tuscaloosa, but there were no deaths there then.
In Kemper County, Miss., in the east-central part of the state, sisters Florrie Green and Maxine McDonald, and their sister-in-law Johnnie Green, all died in a mobile home that was destroyed by a storm.
"They were thrown into those pines over there," Mary Green, Johnnie Green's daughter-in-law, said, pointing to a wooded area. "They had to go look for their bodies."
In Smithville in northeastern Mississippi, the police station, post office, city hall, an industrial park with several furniture manufacturing facilities and a grocery store were among dozens of buildings ripped apart. A church was cut in half, and pieces of tin were wrapped high around the legs of a blue water tower.
Jessica Monaghan, 24, walked through the wreckage with her 9-month-old son, Slade Scott, strapped to her back, and the baby's father, 23-year-old Tyler Scott, by her side.
Their house was still standing, though the home belonging to Tyler Scott's mother was flattened. He was at work — he's a firefighter in nearby Tupelo — and Monaghan was at home watching TV when broadcasters warned the town could be hit within 10 minutes. By then, she said, the storm was there about that time.
"The baby was already in the closet. I grabbed the cat and got in the closet, too," Monaghan said. "You could just feel the pressure. It really was like a freight train."
And in Pleasant Grove, Samantha Nail surveyed the damage in the blue-collar subdivision where hers was the only home still intact. The storm slammed heavy pickup trucks into ditches and obliterated tidy brick houses, leaving behind a mess of mattresses, electronics and children's toys scattered across a grassy plain where dozens used to live.
"We were in the bathroom holding on to each other and holding on to dear life," Nail said. "If it wasn't for our concrete walls, our home would be gone like the rest of them."
--Associated Press
The remains of Hill's Carpet Center in Concord Ala., are seen after what appeared to be a tornado ripped through parts of the town late Wednesday, April 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Birmingham News, Jeff Roberts)
Willie Hyde holds his grand-daughter, 2-years-old Sierra Goldsmith, near where their house stood in Concord Ala., after what appeared to be a tornado ripped through parts of the town late Wednesday, April 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Birmingham News, Jeff Roberts)
Amy Ledford stands by the remains of her house, Wednesday, April 27, 2011 near Athens, Ala. (AP Photo/The Decatur Daily, Gary Cosby Jr.)
A tornado moves through Tuscaloosa, Ala. Wednesday, April 27, 2011. (AP Photo/The Tuscaloosa News, Dusty Compton)
A car was thrown across a parking lot and up into a tree following a tornado Wednesday afternoon, April 27, 2011 in Smithville Miss. (AP Photo/Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Thomas Wells)
A cyclist pedals along Queen St. W. near Spadina during a down-pouring of rain Wednesday afternoon. Toronto Star/Andrew Wallace
A severe thunderstorm warning has ended for Toronto after the city received a blast of the same weather system that caused tornados in Arkansas earlier in the week.
Three possible tornados were reported in the Kitchener-Waterloo area.
Heavy rain hit pockets of Toronto Wednesday afternoon, but the worst is over, according to Environment Canada.
The city received calls from residents about fallen tree branches and blocked drains, according to spokesperson Rob Andrusevich.
“The system has gone through and we don’t have any more risk of severe weather tonight,” meteorologist Bryan Tugwood said at around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The most the city may see is light showers tonight, he added. The storm path, about 30 km wide, moved quickly through the city just after 4 p.m.
It is headed east and is expected to reach Ottawa late Wednesday. The storm hit the Kitchener area after 3 p.m. with heavy rain and winds gusting just under 110 km/h.
A probable tornado touched down in Fergus, in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, just after 3:30 p.m., Tugwood said.
Some damage to commercial buildings and hydro poles was reported by an Environment Canada-trained observer, he added.
Two possible tornados were spotted in the towns of Ayr and Breslau, Tugwood said. The pattern of debris left behind will need to be analyzed before Environment Canada can confirm whether any tornados touched down, he said.
Hail of two centimetres fell in areas around London Wednesday morning, but there were no signs of hail in Kitchener.
Environment Canada is urging people to pay attention to the weather conditions because they could change quickly.
“Thunderstorms are the least predictable systems to predict,” said Tugwood, adding that meteorologists are tracking a complex low-pressure system into the Great Lakes region.
This system is expected to bring a total of 20 to 30 millimetres rain across the region.
On Monday and Tuesday the same system brought tornados that tore through a small central Arkansas town, as well as areas just north of Little Rock.
About nine people died because of the severe weather that hit the state. In the summer of 2009, the city of Vaughan declared a state of emergency after a tornado touched down, damaging a number of houses and leaving more than 100 people without a home.
With files from Donovan Vincent, Gloria Er-Chua and Daniela Germano
People stand near a destroyed house in Vilonia, Ark., Tuesday, April 26, 2011, after a tornado struck the area late Monday. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)
VILONIA, Ark. — A tornado tore up a small central Arkansas town, killing four people and leaving the governor wondering Tuesday how so many others managed to survive. The night of brutal storms killed at least nine people in the state, and more harsh weather was forecast. The tornado smashed through the heart of Vilonia, just north of Little Rock, on Monday night, ripping the roof off the grocery store, flattening homes, tossing vehicles into the air and twisting one tractor-trailer like a wrung dish rag. Gov. Mike Beebe toured the rural community of 3,800 with emergency officials Tuesday morning and talked with storm survivors as they cleared debris from their homes. "These folks have faced some terrible losses and I'm surprised there aren't more fatalities, based upon looking at some of the damage," Beebe said. Beebe credited the survivals on an early tornado-warning system, "luck" and "just the good Lord watching over." The tornado battered most of the homes in the Quail Hollow subdivision of Vilonia, leaving many without a roof. A wooden fence could be seen sticking out of the top one house. Terina Atkins, a middle school librarian, said she and her family rode out the storm in their laundry room. Adkins said she heard a loud sucking noise and realized that air was being sucked out through the drain. "We clogged up the sink and we could feel our ears popping," Atkins said. Faulkner County spokesman Stephan Hawks said the infrastructure in and around Vilonia was badly damaged. "One of the hardest hit things is the utilities. It tore down power lines for, gosh, I'd guess a mile or so. It snapped overhead poles like they were toothpicks. It's pretty devastating," Hawks said. "It was a heck of a little tornado." In Garland County, about 60 miles southwest of Little Rock, rescuers struggled because of the tremendous number of downed trees and power lines. "We still at this time have people trapped in homes that have not been reached because of downed power poles and storm damage," Garland County emergency management coordinator Joy Sanders said. "It looks like we got run over three or four times," Sanders said. Garland County sheriff's spokesman Judy Daniell said an 8-month-old baby was sent to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock with a head injury, but that no other major injuries have been reported in the area. Crews are double-checking homes to make sure there are no more victims, Daniell said. The deaths from Monday's storms bring this month's storm-related death toll in Arkansas to 15. And forecasters said another bout of bad weather was expected to hammer the state Tuesday afternoon, further complicating rescue efforts. "It may not be over," Beebe said. The National Weather Service office in North Little Rock sent teams to Vilonia and Garland County to investigate the damage and assess how much of it was caused by tornadic or straight-line winds. John Robinson, a weather service warning coordination meteorologist, said it could take days to survey all the damage from Monday's storms. "It wouldn't surprise me if we were to end up with a count of 10 or 12 tornadoes by the time all the surveys are completed," Robinson said. Rescuers in Garland County battled to reach areas that were cut off late Monday by the flooding. Sanders, the emergency coordinator, said crews used boats to rescue people from some storm-damaged areas. "It's difficult this early on to find out what really has happened," said Sanders, who noted that rescuers have thus far relied on reports from residents who speculated about which of their neighbors may have been home when the storm swiped the region. Flooding also led to the death of at least four people in the northwest corner of the state, where raging waters swept vehicles from the roads, according to officials in Washington, Madison and Benton counties. Several rivers in northeast Arkansas topped flood stage, with waters spreading over mainly agricultural land. City Hall in Hardy was evacuated in anticipation of the floodwaters, as were homes along the Spring River, even though most were built on 10-foot pilings. Roads in and out of the area were impassable due to flood waters.
--The Associated Press
A child takes a photo with her cellphone of a cow sign for Sirloin Stockade in Murray, Ky. after overnight storms lifted it from its base and tipped it over into the parking lot. Authorities in Murray are reporting thousands of customers without power after a strong storm moved through overnight. (AP Photo/The Ledger & Times, Kyser Lough)
People walk on a road in Vilonia, Ark., Tuesday, April 26, 2011, after a tornado hit the area late Monday. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)
Residents of Oak Glen Residential Community are assisted by rescue personnel as rising waters from a nearby creek forced them to evacuate their homes on Monday, April 25, 2011, in Johnson, Ark. Much of northwest Arkansas was hit with heavy rain and flash floods. (AP Photo/Beth Hall)
VILONIA, Ark. - Emergency crews worked to account for dozens of people still missing Tuesday after a powerful storm battered Arkansas with floods, high winds and tornados, snapping utility poles, twisting one tractor-trailer like a wrung dish rag and leaving at least seven people dead.
A twister that hit the small, rural town of Vilonia late Monday tore roofs from homes and stores, and tossed vehicles into the air. At least four residents of the close-knit community were killed by the tornado. National Guard soldiers and law enforcement resumed the search early Tuesday for more dead and injured.
The main road through town of 3,800 was passable, but debris still littered the street. Officials set up a command post at a grocery store, whose roof was torn off and deposited in the parking lot by the storm.
Faulkner County sheriff's Capt. Matt Price said he wasn't sure how many people were missing. Late Monday, fire chief Keith Hillman said some 50 to 60 people were still not accounted for. Hundreds of emergency workers from several counties were checking homes.
"We're just getting cranked up. We're doing a pretty intense search," Price said.
The deaths from Monday's storms bring this month's storm-related death toll in Arkansas to 14. And forecasters said another bout of bad weather was expected to hammer the state Tuesday afternoon, further complicating rescue efforts.
Faulkner County spokesman Stephan Hawks said the infrastructure in and around Vilonia was badly damaged.
"One of the hardest hit things is the utilities. It tore down power lines for, gosh, I'd guess a mile or so. It snapped overhead poles like they were toothpicks. It's pretty devastating," Hawks said. "It was a heck of a little tornado."
The National Weather Service office in North Little Rock sent survey teams Tuesday morning to Vilonia, some 25 miles north of Little Rock, and to nearby Garland County. The teams will investigate the damage and assess how much of it was caused by tornadic or straight-line winds.
John Robinson, a weather service warning co-ordination meteorologist, said it could take days to survey all the damage tracks from Monday's storms.
"It wouldn't surprise me if we were to end up with a count of 10 or 12 tornadoes by the time all the surveys are completed," Robinson said.
The storm also caused damage at Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville, Ark., and in Polk County. Authorities cancelled classes at the storm-battered North Pulaski High School near Jacksonville. Schools in other parts of the state told students to stay home because of flooding and storm damage.
Rescuers in Garland County battled to reach areas that were cut off late Monday by the flooding.
Garland County emergency management co-ordinator Joy Sanders said crews used boats to rescue people from storm-damaged areas.
"It's difficult this early on to find out what really has happened," said Sanders, who noted that rescuers have thus far relied on reports from residents who speculated about which of their neighbours may have been home when the storm swiped the region.
National Guard troops were also in Garland County to help clear uprooted trees and snapped utility poles.
"It looks like we got run over three or four times," Sanders said.
Flooding also led to the death of at least three people in the northwest corner of the state, where raging waters swept vehicles from the roads, according to officials in Washington and Madison counties.
Several rivers in northeast Arkansas topped flood stage, with waters spreading over mainly agricultural land. City Hall in Hardy was evacuated in anticipation of the floodwaters, as were homes along the Spring River, even though most were built on 10-foot pilings.
Roads in and out of the area were impassable due to flood waters.
With 10 to 15 cm of snow expected in Toronto and the GTA throughout the day on Friday and winds gusting up to 80 km/h at times, commuting Friday morning may be tricky, said Environment Canada meteorologist Jim Prime.
“The blowing snow is probably what people are going to notice when they’re driving in, because the winds are going to pick up and we’re going to have that fresh snow.”
The light flurries falling early Thursday should end by mid-morning, Prime said. But a low-pressure system currently in Colorado is expected to bring a fresh wave of winter weather to southern Ontario overnight.
Prime predicted snow would begin falling in the Windsor area around midnight Thursday and would start accumulating in Toronto a few hours later. But only about 2 to 4 cm are expected overnight in Toronto, with the majority of accumulation coming during the day on Friday.
While Toronto and the GTA are looking at about 10 to 15 cm, the area from Windsor to Niagara, along the shore of Lake Erie, is under a winter storm watch and predicted to get up to 20 to 25 cm. of snow in some parts, Prime said.
As for temperatures, Toronto can expect a high of zero on Friday and -3C on Saturday under sunny skies. But things will warm up into Sunday and Monday with predicted highs of 4C and 9C respectively.
Torontonians got a taste of spring Friday, but it’s not time to put away the shovels just yet, as more snow may be coming our way.
Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for most of southern Ontario, including the GTA on Friday, warning about the strong winds gusting up to 100 km/h overnight.
The strong winds will make driving conditions quite challenging in many areas, so motorists are advised to proceed with caution.
Meanwhile, the temperatures almost a record-breaking high with 10.8 C, just barely beating the record for the hottest Feb. 18 set in 1949 with 10.6 C.
The mercury started to plummet a degree almost every hour as of Friday evening, as the arctic cold front is bringing the thaw to an end in the next 24 hours.
Flurries are expected to start in the city on Saturday with a high of -2 C.
“Spring starts to make a push this time of year, but it’s winter who’s the boss,” said Rob Coon, severe weather meteorologist for Environment Canada.
Winter is expected to continue its wrath as the city could be hit with up to 10 centimetres of snow by Family Day on Monday.
Monday morning’s balmy weather won’t last long in the GTA — the forecast calls for freezing temperatures coupled with winds travelling at 70 km/h by this afternoon.
North of the GTA, several flash freeze warnings were issued for areas such as Dufferin, Orillia, Barrie and Parry Sound.
Geoff Coulson, Environment Canada’s warning preparedness meteorologist, said the weather agency will only issue the warning in the GTA if the frigid temperatures start while it rains.
Flash freezing occurs when a cold front moves in after snow or rainfall, resulting in freezing rain or snow. This can result in slippery and dangerous road conditions.
Coulson said the showers should taper off by 1 p.m. and the gusty winds may dry roads and sidewalks before the freezing temperatures hit the city at about 2 or 3 p.m.
“But the rapid drop in temperatures in the afternoon could still make for icy conditions,” said Coulson, warning Toronto commuters.
By the afternoon commute, the mercury will dip to -5 C and continue to drop, reaching -13 C Monday night.
The cold snap will continue for most of the week, but we will have a high of 13 C on Friday with showers and then dip down to -2 C on Saturday.
But the double-digit positive temperatures will not last long, as the weather will fall back to more seasonal temperatures with a high of -2 C on Saturday.
Coulson said this is normal this time of year because of “the push-and-pull effect that radically impacts the weather as cold winds from the north and warmer air masses south of the Great Lakes battle each other,” he said.
This should continue for the next several weeks, right until spring, he added.
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