Ontario braces for major winter storm, threatening holiday travel plans
Environment Canada says to avoid travel if possible as a winter storm bears down on Ontario, threatening holiday plans during one of the busiest travel times of the year.
The weather agency has placed most of Ontario under a warning or watch ahead of a major winter storm expected Friday and into the holiday weekend, as it forecasts damaging winds, possible flash freezes, and blizzard-like conditions.
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In Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa, the agency is calling for up to 15 centimetres of snow by Friday, and possible 90 km/h wind gusts.
In other parts of southern Ontario, overnight rain combined with plummeting temperatures into Friday could result in flash freezing conditions.
Environment Canada says starting Friday, a "crippling blizzard" could hit parts of southwestern Ontario, including Niagara and Owen Sound, bringing wind gusts up to 120 km/h and 15 to 30 centimetres of snow by Sunday.
The storm could add to the turmoil at airports during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year after a storm and extreme cold in Western Canada grounded hundreds of flights in Vancouver, Victoria and Calgary.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2022.
Click here for a wider view of the Ontario map created on Esri Canada's ArcGIS platform
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