Cold weather, even snow, hits parts of Eastern Canada while West stays mild

It will feel more like winter for some parts of Eastern Canada over the next few days, with snow in the forecast in areas of Ontario and Quebec.

Temperatures are chilly in Ontario and Quebec, with single-digit highs Tuesday and Wednesday, said Kelsey McEwen, chief meteorologist for CTV’s Your Morning.

Snow is forecast Tuesday during the day in areas like Timmins, Ont., and later Tuesday night for areas much farther south, McEwen said.

North edges of the Greater Toronto Area have a chance of showers mixing with snow Tuesday night with temperatures hovering between 2 to 3 C, she added. McEwen said some of those showers could become flurries in places such as Newmarket, Ont.

For Toronto, there’s a possibility of showers turning into snow amid an overnight low of 3 C. Snow can fall even with temperatures as warm as 6 C at the surface if there is cold enough air above it, McEwen said. But the snow mixed with rain won’t be heavy and won’t accumulate much on the ground, she added.

Weather advisories are in place for areas in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Accumulating snow of five to 10 cm is possible north of Quebec City, for places north of St. Lawrence, Nfld., and toward Labrador areas around Happy Valley Goose Bay, Nfld., she said.

At the same time, there are warmer places further east. Temperatures will be steady Tuesday near 11 C in Charlottetown, P.E.I., with double-digit highs for the rest of the week, according to Environment Canada. Halifax will also have double-digit temperatures this week. Ingonish Beach in Cape Breton, N.S., is even hotter, at 18.2 C past 11:30 a.m. ET Tuesday.

 

Western Canada won’t have such a rude awakening to the cold. It’s expected to be mild in the region, McEwen said.

Calgary will have double-digit highs this week, except Thursday when temperatures will dip to 8 C.

Medicine Hat, Alta., will see a high of 24 C on Tuesday, 11 C above average, McEwen said. On Wednesday, it will be 28 C in Regina and 18 C in Winnipeg (8 C above average).

But it’s not as pleasant further north, with Margaret Lake, Yukon at -16.3 C past 11:30 ET Tuesday.

Ontario and Quebec will feel a bit of relief later in the week. It will feel slightly warmer Thursday and mostly on Friday, McEwen said. In Toronto, highs will mostly be 18 C from Friday through the weekend, according to Environment Canada.

It’s a bleaker situation south of the border. Freeze or frost warnings have been issued for more than 60 million people in the central and eastern United States, with the coldest temperatures since spring on the way for many areas Wednesday, CNN reported Tuesday. A surge of chilly Canadian air and a vast cold front are bringing chilly fall weather to many areas. It’s a drastic shift for most of the country, according to the U.S. news outlet. Temperatures could plunge to 10 to 15 F below average by midweek.