Alberta Clipper To Bring a Quick Burst of Heavy Snow to Parts of Central and Eastern Ontario on Wednesday With Up to 12-20cm

An Alberta clipper is expected to bring heavy snow across northern parts of Southern Ontario starting Wednesday late morning and continuing through the afternoon. Those further south around Lake Ontario and Erie will see a mixed bag of light precipitation although the bulk of the precipitation will be focused on areas to the north of Lake Simcoe. A few millimetres of rain or some flurries depending on the temperature is what most can expect outside of the impacted region.

The worst conditions will be found stretching from Manitoulin Island through the North Bay/Parry Sound region and into parts of Eastern Ontario along the Quebec border. Rapid snowfall accumulation will be ongoing in this area during the afternoon hours likely having a significant impact on the evening commute. There is some disagreement on the exact track of this system with some of the latest data suggesting a slightly more southern track that could push the heavy snowfall potential as far south as Ottawa and Muskoka.

When it comes to the expected accumulation from this event, the highest totals will approach the 15cm mark and perhaps locally as much as 20cm stretching from Britt to Algonquin Park and into the Petawawa and Pembroke area. Other parts of Central Ontario into the Ottawa Valley including Muskoka, Parry Sound, Bancroft and Ottawa are currently on track for generally around 6 - 12cm.

Keep in mind that some spots may under or over-perform the forecast depending on the exact track. Outside of Central and Eastern Ontario, the expected accumulation will be minimal with just flurries in most areas or some rain showers for those that are above the freezing mark. The precipitation will begin to taper off late Wednesday as the system moves out of the province.

After reviewing how the last system played out in regards to bus cancellations, we're pretty confident in saying that there likely will be some bus cancellations with the threat of heavy snowfall that could impact the afternoon bus run. So we will be issuing a bus cancellation forecast very shortly to outline exactly which regions we think have the best shot at seeing a 'snow day' tomorrow. Stay tuned!