Sunday Storm Could Be Big, Depending On Where You Are

Here we go again.

As if you’re not sick enough of this winter without end, there’s another major storm heading this way.

It’s bad news if you live in the southwestern portion of the province. It’s better than it was if you’re in the GTA.

And until it gets here, we’ll be shivering in anticipation.

The city initiated its seventh Extreme Cold Weather Alert Friday, after temperatures and strong wind chills made for another difficult day outdoors.

The alert allows officials to open extra shelter beds for the homeless and keep a closer eye on their welfare.

Temperatures overnight should plunge to the minus 15C range, but with brisk winds, it will feel a lot closer to minus 24.

Saturday will stay cold, with  minus 11 wind chills. 

But it’s all just a preview of what’s to come.

Forecasters still aren’t positive about the track of the disturbance currently forming in Colorado, but they do know this – depending on where you are on Sunday, you could be in for a big mess.

This long distance traveller is packing just about everything in its suitcase – snow, ice pellets, freezing rain, and high winds.

It’s expected to start on Sunday afternoon and last all the way into Monday.

CityNews Meteorologist Michael Kuss has been watching this visitor for days and has now pulled back slightly on the amount of snow Toronto could get. We may see around five centimetres.

But those in London and the southwest could be hit hard, with 6-10 cm and almost as much in the Hamilton and Niagara area.

A lot of that could be mixed with rain or ice, as the temperature hovers near the freezing mark. And all those winds could create drifting and blowing, causing more havoc on the roads.

But even though we may just get a glancing blow, winter weary GTA residents still aren’t happy.

“I’m waiting for springtime,” relates Taylor Golding as he shivers in his ski-jacket. “I’ve got my swim trunks all ready to go, so Mother Nature’s just going to give us one last go, but you know we’ve got so much to look forward to.”

Unless you’re north or west of the city.

There were hundreds of crashes in southwestern Ontario near London overnight, as a blinding, wind-whipped snowstorm struck with a vengeance. A flash freeze and winds gusting to 60 kilometres an hour led to whiteouts and extremely hazardous driving.

Things got so bad, police were forced to close some highways for a time. Among the worst incidents: a 30-car pile-up near Strathroy that involved four tractor trailers and a big rig carrying petroleum and a 20-car smash up near St. Mary’s.

It wasn’t pleasant in Barrie, either, which has already been hit hard this winter. Blowing snow led to dozens of fender-benders. Some roads there were declared off limits as well.

Will it be that bad here on Monday? It appears for now, the answer is no. But that doesn’t mean the morning commute as the work week begins still won’t be a messy one.

For the latest forecast and the current conditions, click here.

To read  Michael Kuss’ blog about the storm, click here.