Flash freeze, blowing snow mark sharp return to winter across Waterloo Region

After Wednesday’s showers and spring-like temperatures, Waterloo Region is being brought back into winter with a flash freeze warning and a winter weather travel advisory in effect.

Environment Canada has forecasted upwards of 5 centimetres of snow throughout the day, with gusting winds of nearly 70 km/h at times. Those rough conditions are sure to have an impact on the roads, with icy and slippery conditions expected throughout the region.

“Watch out on the roadways, the sidewalks, parking lots, all could be very, very slick, and we could be dealing with some hazardous conditions,” said 570 Meteorologist Jill Taylor. “Be prepared for changeable weather conditions. There could be some areas that still have some showers, but then it’ll switch over to snow.”

It comes after Wednesday’s mild conditions, which saw plenty of rain and flood watches from the Grand River Conservation Authority. It caused concern heading into Thursday, with the increased amount of melting snow and showers making a flash freeze more of a serious situation.

One aspect Taylor mentioned that will be a bit deceiving throughout the course of the day will be the temperatures, which are expected to slowly dip heading towards the afternoon.

“If you’re heading out in the morning and thinking it’s not bad, it’s pretty mild, this afternoon it’ll feel a lot colder,” said Taylor. “More like -14 C with that wind. It’ll stay near -5 C this evening and overnight.”

There is some good news on the horizon, though, as the forecast is currently calling for a return to milder conditions moving forward. Taylor said Waterloo Region can expect a mix of sun and cloud nearly every day heading into next week. Still a slight chance of flurries on most days, but luckily, it appears some close to double-digit temperatures are on the way.

“March break next week will have highs of 8 C to about 11 C and, if you are hanging around the Kitchener-Waterloo area for the March break next week, Thursday could be the only wet day. At this point, it looks like just some showers in the morning.”

For Thursday, expect a close and slippery drive, so watch out and be safe across the board. Hopefully though, that March break outlook will bring a bit of heat to the icy, frigid day.