Winter storm expected to dump snow on Eastern Canada

Eastern Canadians are bracing for the first big storm of the season, which is expected to deliver heavy snow to eastern Ontario and southern Quebec upon its arrival late Tuesday.

Environment Canada meteorologist Steve Knott called the impending wintry blast "a reasonable-sized storm."

"It's not quite a weather bomb, but it's pretty close to a weather bomb," Knott said.

Environment Canada issued a series of snowfall warnings Tuesday stretching from Ottawa to Montreal and continuing across most of southeastern Quebec.

The weather office is predicting anywhere from 10 to 40 centimetres of snow, depending on the region.

In its snowfall warning, Environment Canada says: "The heavy snow, the strong winds and the blowing snow which accompany this system will reach several regions of Central and Eastern Quebec beginning tonight, leaving a more than significant amount of snow."

A rainfall warning associated with the same storm was also issued for Halifax, where more than 30 millimetres of rain could fall in six hours on Wednesday afternoon and evening, possibly causing localized flooding that could snarl the evening commute, according to Environment Canada.

The snow will likely switch to rain just north of New Brunswick, Knott said.

Environment Canada also issued a flash freeze warning on Tuesday for the Northern Ontario communities of North Bay and Sudbury.

Arctic air is expected to sweep into Ontario behind the storm, causing temperatures to drop and some of the fresh precipitation to freeze, Knott said. While the sidewalks may get a little slippery, the snow will stop eastern Ontario from experiencing a flash freeze.

The storm has been developing in the United States and producing rain over the northeastern states, Knott said.

For Ottawa and the surrounding areas, the storm is predicted to bring rain Tuesday afternoon, according to Environment Canada. The rain will switch to snow Tuesday evening, with up to 15 centimetres expected to fall by the time the snow stops Wednesday morning.

Montreal can also expect about 15 to 20 centimetres of snow starting Tuesday evening, Environment Canada forecasters predicted. Some parts of central and southeastern Quebec, including Quebec City, could receive up to 40 centimetres of snow, with strong winds adding to the poor conditions.

Forecasters expected the storm to continue Wednesday in Quebec and throughout the Maritimes, adding that some areas of southeastern Quebec will still experience bad weather on Thursday.

While no warnings were issued for southern Ontario, Environment Canada released a special weather statement Tuesday advising all of southern Ontario to expect mixed precipitation, likely consisting of rain and wet snow, starting Tuesday morning and continuing into the afternoon.

Light rain began falling in Toronto at around noon Tuesday, according to Environment Canada.

The storm is also predicted to move into Newfoundland and Labrador on Wednesday evening, leaving behind more than 20 centimetres of snow by Thursday, according to Environment Canada.

While no snowfall warnings have been released, Environment Canada issued a wind warning on Tuesday afternoon for the southwestern tip of Newfoundland, with wind gusts associated with the storm expected to reach 130 km/h on Wednesday evening.

The morning commute Wednesday will likely be messy in eastern Ontario and western Quebec, almost a "new experience" for drivers considering how mild this winter has been so far, Knott said.

For travellers flying during one of the busiest air travel times of the year, some airlines issued advisories on Tuesday asking passengers to check the status of their flights before leaving for the airport.

Porter Airlines and Air Canada both warned travellers in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal that the storm may cause delays or cancellations of some flights.

WestJet had not issued any advisories online by Tuesday afternoon, but spokeswoman Jennifer Sanford said no flights were delayed or cancelled due to the weather. An advisory would be posted if necessary, she said.

hroberts@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/hilarytroberts

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Source: http://feeds.canada.com/~r/canwest/F75/~3/N-q9EWWUSn0/story.html

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