Heavy snow and reduced visibility is expected

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

ENVIRONMENT CANADA

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Snow squall watch in effect for:

• Agawa - Lake Superior Park

• Searchmont - Montreal River Harbour - Batchawana Bay

• Wawa - Pukaskwa Park

• Blind River - Thessalon

• Espanola - Killarney

• Manitoulin Island

Snow squalls are expected to develop. Under the snow squall bands, visibilities will be significantly reduced due to the heavy snow combined with blowing snow, and snow will quickly accumulate.

Conditions will become favourable for the development of snow squalls from Lake Superior in a cold southwesterly flow that is expected to develop in the wake of a cold front tonight.

The snow squalls are expected to intensify on Wednesday, then will slowly start pushing southward Wednesday night as another cold front moves from Northwestern Ontario.

Snowfall amounts of 15 centimetres per 12 hours are possible in the strongest snow squalls.

Driving conditions are expected to deteriorate quickly after the lake effect snow develops.

Snow squalls cause weather conditions to vary considerably; changes from clear skies to heavy snow within just a few kilometres are common. Visibility may be significantly and suddenly reduced to near zero. Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow.

Snow squall watches are issued when conditions are favourable for the formation of bands of snow that could produce intense accumulating snow or near zero visibilities.

Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to ec.cpio-tempetes-ospc-storms.ec@canada.ca or tweet reports to #ONStorm.

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