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Snowstorms hit Ontario as Eastern Canada faces a second icy blast
WEATHER

After a weekend of hurricane-force winds, Newfoundland's not out of the woods yet – and Southern Ontario's turn has come too. Here's what to expect

The Canadian Press and Globe staff

This article was published more than 7 years ago. Some information may no longer be current.

Ontario: Winter is coming

Many residents in Southern Ontario will face considerable snowfall over the next couple of days.

A system moved into the province on Monday and hit parts of Southern Ontario. Environment Canada meteorologist Steve Knott says the snow will head east throughout the week.. Mr. Knott predicts the snow will continue until Wednesday morning, which complicates a week that is spring break for many Ontario schools:

For the remainder of the week we're going to stay quite a bit below normal as far as the temperatures go, which maybe some people are happy about when they're on spring break, but I suspect maybe not.

Fifteen to 25 centimetres of snow are expected in most areas, with up to 30 cm forecast for the Hamilton-Niagara corridor. The Ontario forecast remains cold for the rest of this week.

Police have been urging drivers to be careful on the roads and air travellers are being urged to check the status of their flights before leaving home.

A St. John’s house shows the aftermath of the weekend’s storm on Monday morning.

Atlantic Canada: Winter is coming back

After getting battered by cold gale-force winds over the weekend, Newfoundland is due for another blast of winter weather this week, Environment Canada predicts. An intense low-pressure system is expected to cross over the Maritime provinces midweek, bringing snow and strong winds across the region before hitting southwestern Newfoundland on Tuesday night. By Wednesday, that snow could turn into ice pellets or freezing rain.

On Monday, power crews were still working to restore electricity to about 5,000 customers after a massive weekend windstorm wreaked havoc in Newfoundland and Labrador. Newfoundland Power spokeswoman Michele Coughlan told The Canadian Press that the utility hopes to restore power for most of the remaining customers by the end of the day, adding that although the weather was still cold, weather conditions had stabilized for work crews who battled sustained and strong winds over the weekend:

We had 110 kilometre an hour sustained winds. For many of our crews who have been through many storms . . . they describe it as being worse than hurricane Igor [in 2010].

Ms. Coughlan said that 3,000 of the isolated outages are on the Avalon and Burin Peninsulas while another 2,000 are in St. John's and surrounding areas. She says at its height on Saturday the storm affected about 70,000 customers, downing power lines, cracking poles and breaking crossarms on lines in some areas.

The ongoing power outages also led to a water conservation order issued for all residents in St. John's, Mount Pearl, Paradise, Portugal Cove-St. Phillips and Conception Bay South. Technical issues at the Bay Bulls Big Pond water treatment facility were cited as the cause.

Meanwhile, Newfoundlanders were continuing to assess the damage caused by wind gusts of between 140 and 160 kilometres an hour .

Watch the fierce winds that caused damage in Newfoundland

Damage evident around St. John's included slate tiles that were blown into an alley 100 metres from a downtown church. Roofs were also partly off several houses and buildings and a home in nearby Torbay had its top floor blown off.

In St. John’s, the windy weather blew down structures on people’s properties …

… and tore signs apart at local businesses.

Many streetlights are disabled or missing.

How to shovel snow

If you've got a driveway or sidewalk to clear this week, here are some pointers on how to do it efficiently and without hurting yourself.

MORE FROM THE GLOBE AND MAIL

Will my dog be buried in the snow today? Try our calculator Fresh snow can make walk time a cool adventure or a cold ordeal for Canadian dogs, depending on whether it’s too deep for them to handle. Use this tool to see how the forecast stacks up against the size of your dog breed.