Weather alerts in place for possible 30-50 cm of snow, high winds

Those shovels may be wrapping up their time off as multiple weather alerts, including a snow squall watch, are now in effect across Waterloo Region, with a wall of winter on the way before the week is done.

Environment Canada issued a snow squall watch, with total snowfall predicted to range from 30 to 50 centimetres across the region, though local amounts may vary.

Denise Andreacchi, 570’s Weather Specialist, noted that it’s expected to start snowing Thursday morning and continue through Saturday, but forecasts say it should peak early on.

“For tomorrow, it’s snow squall activity,” Andreacchi said. “On average, for Kitchener, 5 to 10 centimetres, but because these isolated bands of snow could target specific communities, we could see an excess of 20 centimetres locally.”

In addition, a special weather statement is now in place for strong wind gusts, which could reach speeds of 70 to 80 km/h. Andreacchi said this could create some dangerous conditions during morning and afternoon commutes.

“Any snow we see could just get blown and drifted around back onto the roads because of how strong these winds are expected, so be extra mindful on tomorrow morning’s drive,” Andreacchi stated. “Really, this snow squall activity is going to last on and off throughout the day on Thursday, along with these strong, intense winds.”

She mentioned that the rest of the week will still see periods of snow, but at a notably lighter rate compared to Thursday, and while the winds are expected to lighten up heading into the weekend, they’re still predicted to be fairly strong for Friday.

Andreacchi said Friday is expected to see trace amounts of snow, potentially reaching as much as 2 cm, adding that a bit more is expected through the weekend, though, potentially as much as 5 cm Saturday and 6 cm Sunday.

Alberta clipper merges with low-pressure

Natasha Ramsahai, Chief Meteorologist for CityNews, said that a wobbly polar vortex coming across from the Prairies, merging with an Alberta clipper, is to blame. The low-pressure system is expected to impact communities across northern and southern Ontario.

Winter weather depends on a weak or disrupted polar vortex, she said. In this case, the disruption will mainly be due to something called an “SSW” or “sudden stratospheric warming,” which will weaken the “wind wall.”

“While spills of cold air at this time of year are not unusual, the ‘SSW’ event that will cause it is early for this time of year, happening only a couple of times this early in the season in the past 70 years,” Ramsahai explained.

The current La Niña is also playing a role in this shift to cold weather. The CityNews winter outlook released earlier this month maintains that the first half of winter will be cold across the Great Lakes, while the second half in early 2026 looks to be milder. 

With files from CityNews’ Lucas Casaletto.