Environment Canada urges London-Middlesex residents to ‘alter holiday plans’ ahead of storm

Environment Canada continues to warn most parts of southern Ontario ahead of a major winter storm expected to blow into the holiday weekend, urging London-Middlesex residents to possibly alter travel plans.

“The timing and evolution of the storm have changed a little bit, but those differences make a difference in what every region will be experiencing,” said Steven Flisfeder, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada, said in an interview with Global News.

According to the special weather statement, which is also in effect for the rest of southern Ontario, precipitation is expected to begin late Thursday in the London area in the form of rain or snow, with rain expected in many areas early Friday.

Temperatures are also expected to plummet on Friday, leading to potential flash freezes for locations that were stuck in the rain. Dropping temperatures will also be accompanied by strong and potentially damaging winds along with snow, just in time for a predicted white Christmas.

“If it’s at all possible to stay home this weekend, that is recommended,” Flisfeder said. “If you are dead set on getting somewhere throughout the holiday weekend, now is the time to do so. The Wednesday through Thursday period is the safest time to do so. The conditions on Friday and Saturday are going to be so variable, so impactful, that it’s going to be very dangerous driving.”

He highlighted the threat of widespread power outages due to the storm, saying that “now is the time to prepare.”

“Get your emergency kits in place so that you’re not caught off guard,” he advised, along with Hydro One who said that it is also preparing for “extended power outages.”

2:30 Major winter storm headed for Ontario, will likely impact holiday travel plans

With a varied forecast, Flisfeder anticipates that this special weather statement might be upgraded for the London area the closer the storm moves in.

The weather statement said that blizzard conditions are possible for areas downwind of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay late Friday and into the weekend and a multi-day lake effect snow event is expected into the weekend for locations east of the Great Lakes.

“While there is high confidence in a high impact winter storm, the details regarding wind speeds, precipitation types and amounts remain uncertain at this time,” the weather advisory continued.

With heavy snow in the holiday forecast, the City of London announced that it is monitoring the predicted weather conditions closely, saying it is ready to deploy crews and equipment when needed.

London says city crews maintain more than 3,700 kilometres of roadway, 1,600 km of sidewalks, 720 cul-de-sacs, and 2,100 bus stops, as well as bridges and pedestrian crossovers in the winter.

Residents are able to get the latest snow removal updates, as well as confirming the status of on-street parking, or check for updated hours of operation for community centres and recreation programs, at london.ca/snow once crews have been deployed.