THUNDER BAY – Weather – Batten down the hatches. Thunder Bay is in the target zone for a major winter storm according to Environment Canada. The weather service says, the “Major winter storm threatening for Monday into Tuesday”.
A low pressure system forming over Colorado is expected to track northeast and intensify into a major winter storm as it reaches Lake Superior sometime Monday night.
Significant amounts of snow are quite possible from this winter storm across much of Northwestern Ontario. Such winter storms often bring total snowfall amounts of 20 to 30 cm, and locally higher amounts are possible. Strong and gusty winds may also whip up the freshly fallen snow, resulting in very low visibility in exposed areas subject to blowing snow.
Latest indications also suggest that freezing rain and ice pellets are also possible, mainly near Lake Superior including the Lakehead at Thunder Bay.
Travellers should consider changing their plans as driving conditions will quickly deteriorate and become hazardous after the snow moves in on Monday.
The location of the heaviest snow and how far north the freezing rain and ice pellets get will depend on the exact track of the Colorado low.
The winter storm will likely end sometime on Tuesday as the storm centre tracks from Lake Superior to James Bay.